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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Ivanka Trump takes the stand

"The people call Ivanka Trump," state attorney Louis Solomon said.

"Who's she?" Judge Arthur Engoron responded jokingly.

After a few awkward minutes of waiting, Ivanka Trump entered the courtroom, walked toward the judge, and took her place in the courtroom's witness box. She did not address or make eye contact with Letitia James as she passed the New York attorney general.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that any testimony you give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" a court officer asked her.

"I do," she responded with her right hand raised.


Ivanka Trump benefited from fraud, NY AG says

Speaking to reporters outside court this morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James said that today's testimony will demonstrate that Ivanka Trump personally benefited from the fraud that a judge has ruled her family committed.

"We uncovered the scheme and she benefited from it personally," James told reporters. "And Ms. Trump will do all that she can to try to separate herself from his corporation, but she is inextricably tied to the Trump Organization and to these properties that she helped secure financing for."

James has taken a seat in the front row of the courtroom's gallery, feet from her team of lawyers at the state's counsel table.


NY AG's chief real estate lawyer to question Ivanka Trump

Louis Solomon, the chief of the New York attorney general's real estate finance division, is expected to lead the questioning of Ivanka Trump.

Solomon led Ivanka's Trump deposition in August 2022, where she denied being involved in her father's financial statements that are at the center of the case.

Earlier in the trial, Solomon led a contentious direct examination of former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who frequently struggled to answer questions about who was responsible for various financial decisions at the company.

Solomon has frequently sparred with Donald Trump's lawyers during the trial, including a heated exchange after multiple members of the state team tested positive for COVID-19 during the proceedings.

"Everything in this courtroom concerns me and my client, including your health," defense lawyer Chris Kise said.

"Thanks for your concern," Solomon responded offhandedly.


Ivanka Trump arrives at courthouse

Ivanka Trump has arrived at the New York State Supreme Courthouse, where she was greeted by a crowd of photographers ahead of her testimony this morning.

She did not make a statement outside court.

The eldest daughter of former President Trump is scheduled to take the stand at around 10 a.m. ET.


Trump financials cite phone calls that witness says didn't occur

Doug Larson's name appears across five years of Donald Trump's financial documents, according to records entered into evidence.

A longtime professional appraiser with the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, Larson was cited in Trump Organization documents as an expert at valuing properties like 40 Wall Street, Trump Tower, and an adjoining retail space called "Niketown." Spreadsheets entered as evidence explicitly reference multiple phone calls with Larson between 2013 and 2017.

When asked about these phone calls in court, Larson testified that no such conversations occurred.

"Is it fair to say that Mr. Trump valued Trump Tower at $526 million in conjunction with you?" state attorney Mark Ladov asked Larson.

"No, that is incorrect," Larson said.

"Were you aware that Mr. McConney was citing you as a valuation source in his work papers?" Ladov asked.

"No, I was not," replied Larson, who said he did not assist Trump Organization executives in valuing Trump Tower, Niketown, or 40 Wall Street, despite Trump's paperwork referencing him as a source.

Evidence presented by the state instead suggested that the valuations were determined using cherry-picked metrics from a generic email Larson sent clients.

"It's a way to get your name out to clients for potential work," Larson said about one such "email blast" that was used in a Trump Tower valuation.

Larson added that the valuations Trump Organization executives determined based on "consultation" with him used flawed methodologies, such as using capitalization rates related to office buildings to appraise the retail Niketown building.

"It doesn't make sense," Larson said about Niketown's $287 million valuation.

"It's inappropriate and inaccurate," Larson said about the Trump Organization relying on his name to support their valuations. "I should have been told, and appraisals should have been ordered."