Trump civil fraud case: Judge fines Trump $354M, says frauds 'shock the conscience'

The former president was found to have defrauded lenders.

Last Updated: November 6, 2023, 5:27 PM EST

Former President Donald Trump has been fined $354.8 million plus approximately $100 million in interest in a civil fraud lawsuit that could alter the personal fortune and real estate empire that helped propel him to the White House. In the decision, Judge Arthur Engoron excoriated Trump, saying the president's credibility was "severely compromised," that the frauds "shock the conscience" and that Trump and his co-defendants showed a "complete lack of contrition and remorse" that he said "borders on pathological."

Engoron also hit Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump with $4 million fines and barred all three from helming New York companies for years. New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and his adult sons of engaging in a decade-long scheme in which they used "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" to inflate Trump's net worth in order get more favorable loan terms. The former president has denied all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 16, 2024, 4:07 PM EST

Summary of penalties

Donald Trump and his adult sons were hit with millions in fines in the civil fraud trial and barred for years from being officers in New York companies. The judge said the frauds "shock the conscience."

Donald Trump: $354 million fine + approx. $100 million in interest
+ barred for 3 years from serving as officer of NY company
Donald Trump Jr.: $4 million fine
+ barred for 2 years from serving as officer of NY company
Eric Trump: $4 million fine
+ barred for 2 years from serving as officer of NY company
Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg: $1 million fine
+ barred for 3 years from serving as officer of NY company
+ barred for life from financial management role in NY company
Former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney:
+ barred for 3 years from serving as officer of NY company
+ barred for life from financial management role in NY company

Nov 06, 2023, 3:27 PM EST

Trump steps down from witness stand

After testifying on and off for five hours, Donald Trump has stepped down from the witness stand after completing his direct examination.

State attorney Kevin Wallace concluded his questions by asking Trump about his former CFO Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, and about internal controls at the Trump Organization.

Weisselberg served three months for tax fraud after he pleaded guilty to 15 felony charges related to his compensation while working for Trump.

"People went after him viciously and violently because he worked for me," Trump said.

Trump said he only learned about Weisselberg's illegal conduct because of the Manhattan district attorney's criminal probe into the Trump Organization and Weisselberg.

"I feel very badly for him," Trump said. "He did a good job for me for a long time."

Regarding the current court case, Wallace asked, "Do you think anything needs to change at the Trump Organization because of what you learned from this lawsuit?"

"I don't think so," Trump said, but suggested he would defer to his new accounting firm.

"We will see if anything will come of it," he said.

Nov 06, 2023, 3:07 PM EST

Trump displays sharp recall of decade-old transactions

In a workmanlike tone contrasting with the day's initial vitriol, Trump has been issuing mostly terse responses to the state's questions about his properties in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

While earlier witnesses, including Trump's sons and key Trump Organization executives, often struggled to recall details of transactions while on the stand, Trump has been demonstrating a sharp recollection of decade-old transactions and emails.

Former President Donald Trump is questioned by Kevin Wallace of the New York Attorney General's Office, during the Trump Organization civil fraud trial in New York State Supreme Court November 6, 2023.
Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

State attorney Kevin Wallace marched through a series of questions about loan documents related to those properties, with the former president cooperating with his line of inquiry.

When Wallace brought up the loan agreement for a Trump-owned building in Chicago, Trump launched into a defense of the loan, which he said he paid off in full and ahead of schedule.

"This loan was paid off in full, with no default, no problem," Trump said. "It was a very successful loan ... so the bank was thrilled."

"There was no victim," Trump added.

Nov 06, 2023, 2:38 PM EST

'I've had a lot of cash,' Trump says about his net worth

Testimony has resumed following the lunch break, with state attorneys asking the former president about his net worth as it related to loan requirements.

Trump agreed to maintain a net worth of $2.5 billion and cash in excess of $50 million when Deutsche Bank granted him a loan in 2011 for his Trump National Doral golf club, according to documents entered into evidence.

Asked about those covenants -- which Trump satisfied by certifying his financial statements -- Trump only addressed the cash on hand.

"They always want to make sure the cash was substantial," Trump said, claiming that he had $300 to $400 million in cash at the time.

"I've had a lot of cash for a long time," Trump said. "That is all they cared about."

Nov 06, 2023, 2:03 PM EST

Trump attorney says AG's case has 'nothing but their politics'

Trump attorney Alina Habba assailed the New York attorney general's $250 million civil case and the judge overseeing it, in remarks to reporters during the lunch break.

"What I'm seeing is such a demise of the American judicial system," Habba said outside the courthouse. "They’ve got nothing but their politics."

"This is a judge who clearly has an issue with facts that are not good for the case," she said of Judge Arthur Engoron.

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