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

The former president was found to have defrauded lenders.

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.


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


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Attorney general back in attendance

New York Attorney General Letitia James is attending the civil trial this morning.

After greeting the press in the courtroom's gallery, James returned to same front-row seat she used earlier in the trial.

James attended the first six days of the trial but had not been in the courtroom the last week.


Trump says he'll return to courtroom this morning

Donald Trump plans to attend his ongoing fraud trial in downtown Manhattan this morning, the former president said in a Truth Social post this morning.

Star witness Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and self-described "fixer," will be absent from the courtroom after a medical issue delayed his testimony.

Trump will instead hear testimony from his company's assistant controller, Donna Kidder.

State attorneys also plan to call real estate executives who appraised Trump properties, as well as real estate executive Jack Weisselberg, the son of former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who worked on a refinanced loan for Trump's 40 Wall Street property.

Trump was in attendance for the first three days of the trial when it began two weeks ago.


Trump Hotels chief accounting officer concludes testimony

State attorney Andrew Amer concluded his direct examination of Trump Hotels chief accounting officer Mark Hawthorn by applauding Hawthorn's skills and experience.

Amer highlighted that Hawthorn successfully conducted cash flow analysis, understood estimated current value, and applied the generally accepted accounting principles to his work.

Asked by Amer if he was ever asked to work on Trump's statement of financial condition -- a job that was handled by other executives like CFO Allen Weisselberg and controller Jeffrey McConney, who in earlier testimony acknowledged their lack of knowledge regarding foundational accounting principles -- Hawthorn replied that he was never approached about the task.

"I would be qualified to give it a try," said Hawthorn.

Hawthorn then stepped down from the witness stand to make way for Trump Organization assistant controller Donna Kidder to begin her testimony, after which court was adjourned for the day.

Kidder's testimony is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning, when former President Trump is expected to return to the courtroom.


Assets on statement were apparently overstated, exec says

Trump Hotels chief accounting officer Mark Hawthorn testified that in 2018 he inadvertently overstated the value of Trump's assets by relying on Trump's statement of financial condition.

When an outside accounting firm requested the amount of Trump's liquid assets, Hawthorn said he consulted the financial statement that listed "cash equivalents in excess of $290 million."

The New York attorney general alleges that Vornado Partnerships, a separate company with whom Trump has a limited partnership interest, owned 30% of the "cash and cash equivalents" Trump claimed in his 2018 statement.

In his testimony, Hawthorn said that information was not disclosed in the statement. He also said that he only was able to view the statement briefly in a 20-minute Google Meet session.

"It appears to have been overstated," Hawthorn said of the representation of Trump's assets on the statement.


Bank wouldn't extend Trump credit to buy Buffalo Bills, exec says

Former president Donald Trump and his company bid $1 billion in 2014 in an attempt to purchase the Buffalo Bills football team.

The only problem was that Trump needed a bank to help finance his bid.

Former Deutsche Bank executive Nicholas Haigh testified that when Trump turned to his bank for help, bank executives declined, fearing it would increase their financial exposure to Trump.

"Deutsche Bank was not willing to increase its credit exposure to Donald Trump at that time," Haigh said.

But the bank was still willing to help Trump by sending a letter to support his bid, according to Haigh -- on the condition that Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney certify that the company was still in compliance with the covenants of the three outstanding loans the bank had given Trump.

McConney verified that Trump had over $300 million in liquid assets in 2014, and that it suffered no material decrease in the value of his illiquid assets, according to a document entered into evidence today.

With that verification, Deutsche Bank issued a letter that Trump had the "financial wherewithal" to fund his bid.

Trump's effort to purchase the Bills was ultimately unsuccessful.