(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a Manhattan judge to grant her office a hefty $370 million fine in the civil trial against the Trump organization, citing alleged fraudulent business practices in a Friday court filing.
As reported by Fox News, James claimed on Friday that this multimillion-dollar sum accounts for the total profits unlawfully acquired by former President Donald Trump and his company.
“The myriad deceptive schemes they employed to inflate asset values and conceal facts were so outrageous that they belie innocent explanation,” James alleged in a court filing.
She further stated, “The conclusion that defendants intended to defraud when preparing and certifying Trump’s SFCs is inescapable.”
Trump scolded James’ request in a lengthy, all-caps Truth Social post: “This case should never have been brought, should be in the commercial division (the rigged judge would not let go of it!), & I should never have been gagged,” Trump said. “Now the corrupt A.G. wants $370,000,000 as businesses flee New York. They should pay me. This is prosecutorial misconduct — a DOJ witch hunt!”
The contentious case stemmed from accusations that Trump obtained generous loans and business advantages by overvaluing his and the company’s asset values—allegations that the presiding leftist judge, Arthur Engoron, found compelling.
Notably, the bench-trial made Engoron the sole decision-maker in the civil case, which has been embroiled in scandals involving him and his wife.
Viral photos emerged showing Engoron semi-nude, reportedly shared by him with his alumni in a newsletter attempting to showcase a before-and-after transformation
Engoron’s wife, Dawn Marie Engoron, faced criticism for allegedly posting anti-Trump images on social media, including memes depicting Trump in an orange jail suit and a “Fuck Trump” image.
Engoron ruled in favor of James’ accusations, aligning with her pledges from the early days of her campaign. This ruling has put some of the Trump organization’s iconic buildings at risk, giving James the option to either claim $250 million or seize some of the properties.
Trump and his attorneys have consistently rebuked James’s allegations, citing on-time payments made to banks for the loans received by the Trump organization. The former president has also slammed James as a partisan Democrat seeking to thwart his potential 2024 presidential bid.
James made prosecuting Trump a key promise of her 2018 campaign for attorney general.
