New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking more than $370 million from Donald Trump and wants to ban him from doing business in the state as the explosive civil fraud lawsuit into his family's business practices comes to a close.
The fraud lawsuit filed by James accuses Trump of inflating the value of properties, including his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, to get better terms on loans.
James, who has repeatedly attacked Trump as partisan and “racist,” argues that the massive sum is justified because of the former president's “numerous deceptive schemes” employed by his company and co-defendants to “inflate the value of assets and to hide facts. '
She writes that the alleged fraud schemes were “so outrageous as to deny an innocent explanation.”
Trump's lawyers fired back in their own filing on Friday, saying James has “no evidence” and emphasizing that there was not a single witness to support these damning allegations.
Judge Arthur Engoron has dismissed Trump and his sons Don Jr. and Eric had already been found liable for fraud.
The post-trial briefing followed an explosive 11-week process to determine how much money Trump and his company should take – which ended last month.
Donald Trump in Manhattan Civil Court
'He rambled, he hurled insults,' New York AG Letitia James said after a dramatic performance by former President Donald Trump
Engoron's final arguments are scheduled for next week and he could rule by the end of the month.
Trump's legal team finally gave rest to his fraud trial in New York on December 13, after a final courtroom skirmish in which Judge Arthur Engoron told them there was “no way” he would rule in their favor.
The latest squabble came Tuesday, after Trump failed to come to his own defense as he initially predicted, and son Eric made a surprise appearance to watch the final moments of the family business's case.
That came after the former president posted on Sunday: “I have already testified to everything and have nothing more to say.”
“We'll rest,” Trump attorney Chris Kise told the judge, who branded Trump “crooked” throughout the trial, while also firing off posts targeting his wife and chief judicial officer.
Trump attorney Chris Kise indicated he has taken a series of steps in general lawsuits “for appeal,” prompting a joke from Engoron.
“You're going to appeal,” he said. ABC news reported.
Kise said he planned to file a motion for “directed judgment” on Friday. That would be an opportunity for the judge to rule that there was insufficient evidence to support the prosecutor's case, effectively ending a case in which he had already established fraud.
“There's no way I'm going to allow that,” Engoron told him. “You'd be wasting your time.”
The statement came at the end of a $250 million fraud trial to decide the size of the financial penalty Trump and the Trump Organization will face — which will also affect his ability to do business in New York state the game is on.
Trump has spoken out against his prosecution throughout the proceedings, including during his last courtroom visit Friday. He has used the trial to make regular television appearances to the media from the courtroom, and has seen his poll numbers rise against Republican opponents and President Joe Biden over the duration of the trial.
Judge Arthur Engoron told Trump attorney Chris Kise that he would “in no way” rule in favor of his motion for “direct judgment” in the case
Kise indicated that Trump's team planned to appeal
Tuesday saw more questions from prosecutors about Trump's penthouse apartment, which they say inflated its value by about $200 million by using inaccurate square footage
New York AG Letitia James, who has repeatedly attacked Trump as partisan and “racist,” was in the courtroom for the defense's closing presentation.
There was more prosecutorial action Tuesday over the appraisal of Trump's penthouse apartment. Prosecutors say his company increased the value of the Trump Tower unit by $200 million.
Questioned by Kevin Sneddon, ex-president of Trump International Realty, about how he arrived at the unit's valuation. He said he got the information from former Trump Organization director Allen Weisselberg, who requested the information years ago to get an award.
'I asked if I could see it. He said that wasn't possible. I asked if there was a map or specifications. He said he didn't have that information,” Sneddon testified. “He said, 'It's pretty big.' I think it's about 30,000 square feet.”