Former President Trump. Photo: EFE.
New York Judge Arthur Engoron ordered former President Trump to pay more than $355 million in damages and banned him from “serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other New York legal entity for three years.” . “, including the company of the same name.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office filed the case, said that taking into account pre-judgment interest, the fine amounts to more than $450 million, an amount “that will continue to increase every day until paid.” “.
“Donald Trump will finally be held accountable for his lies, his deceit and his astonishing fraud. Because no matter how big, rich or powerful you think you are, no one is above the law,” James said in a statement, calling the ruling “a tremendous victory for this state, this nation and for everyone who believes that “We have to do everything.” Follow the same rules, even former presidents.”
Trump told reporters it was a punishment “for doing a perfect job.” “In my opinion, it is a sad day for the country,” he said, calling Judge Engoron “corrupt” and prosecutor James “corrupt.”
The decision is a blow to Trump's finances and his personality, as he has built his brand on being a successful businessman, which he capitalized on in his first presidential run.
Trump is currently running for the White House for the third time. This case is just one of many he faces, including four pending criminal cases. The first is scheduled for March 25th.
During the trial, Trump and his company's executives, including his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, sought to blame the accountants who prepared them for the inflated financial reports that were at the heart of the fraud case.
Letitia James and Engoron disagreed. “There is overwhelming evidence from interested and disinterested witnesses, corroborated by documentary evidence, that the burden of being truthful in assessing supporting data fell on the Trump Organization, not the accountants,” he wrote.
The judge also cited a lack of remorse on the part of Trump and his executives after the fraud was uncovered. “His complete lack of remorse and remorse borders on the pathological. They are simply accused of inflating the value of assets to make more money. The documents prove it again and again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. The defendants did not commit murder. They didn't rob a bank at gunpoint. However, the defendants are unable to admit the error of their actions,” Engoron wrote.
“The defendants' refusal to admit a mistake forces the court to conclude that they will commit it in the future unless a court prohibition is imposed on them,” he added.
“We have reached a point where your political beliefs, combined with where your case is heard, are the determining factors in the outcome. Not the facts of the case! said Trump. “It’s really sad what happened to our country.”
Trump's lawyer Alina Habba called the verdict “a blatant injustice, pure and simple.” “Given the seriousness of the issue, we are confident that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious verdict and end this relentless pursuit of my clients,” he said in a statement.