Donald Trump Promises To Attend His New York Fraud Trial as It Begins Monday

By Rick Martin First Posted: Oct 02, 2023 02:23 AM EDT

Donald Trump promises to appear in his own fraud trial that might decide the fate of his business dealings in the state of New York.

"I'm going to Court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation," wrote the former president on his Truth Social page. He also lashed out against New York Attorney General Letitia James who led the civil case against him, as well as Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the non-jury trial.

"THIS WHOLE CASE IS SHAM!!!" he wrote on Truth Social. "See you in Court - Monday morning."

Judge Engoron has already made a ruling before the trial even began, stating that evidence against Trump and his two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr., are sufficient enough. The hearings for the trial will only be to determine the punishment made for the Trumps and their company, the Trump Organization.

James, meanwhile, accused Trump, his children, and the Trump Organization of habitually lying about his wealth in financial statements. She has been targeted by attacks from Trump and his allies since starting the investigation.

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, known as "Trump's Moneyman," previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He falsified documents and hid that the company was paying him extra under the table. However, as the Associated Press pointed out, this Civil trial against Trump will have much higher stakes than Weisselberg's case.

James is seeking $250 million in allegedly illegal profits which Trump allegedly earned illegally by falsifying his net worth and the value of his properties. It also seeks to ban former President Trump, Don Jr., and Eric from participating in any real estate transactions for five years. The lawsuit also seeks to ban the ex-president and his family members from being involved in his business enterprises in the state, as well as barring them from serving as directors and officers in any New York-based corporation or any business licensed in New York.

Donald Trump Fraud Trial Will Determine How Much He and His Sons Will Pay

If the judge already decided that Donald Trump and his adult sons are liable for fraud, then why should there still be a trial?

The trial would be needed to determine how much Trump would be losing. The minimum might be what James is asking for, $250 million.

According to The Guardian, Trump could not rely on the support of his followers to save him this time, as there will be no jury. His lawyers will have to work to win the judge over. However, Trump attacking the judge on social media certainly would not help them win the case for him.

Judge Ridiculed Donald Trump's Explanations Why He Inflated His Assets' Values

Judge Engoron has already canceled the Trumps's business certificates and wrote in his decision that they committed fraud through "pure sophistry," a "fantasy world" of real-estate valuations that "can only be considered fraud."

The judgment was so scathing that, according to USA Today, Engoron quoted the Marx brothers to ridicule the ex-POTUS's excuses. "Well, who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" quoted the judge in a reference to a line said by Chico Marx in the movie "Duck Soup."

Engoron stated that he found Trump to have valued Mar-a-Lago at 20 times the tax assessment while Trump Park Avenue gained millions of dollars on his corporate balance sheet, much more than its appraised value. He also wrote that the former president nearly tripled the square-footage of his own Trump Tower penthouse apartment.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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