Donald Trump and Sons Declared Liable for Fraud in New York

Former US President Donald Trump and his sons have been found liable for fraud by New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who proceeded to revoke the business certification of the Trump Organization, highlighting that the Trumps have provided false financial statements for around a decade.

The revelation emerged just days before the civil case involving the New York attorney general’s office and the former president was due to enter trial. The judge conceded to Attorney General Letitia James’ plea for summary judgment, deeming Trump, his sons, and others “to be liable as a matter of law for persistent violations” of New York state law.

CNN disclosed that the financial statements supplied by the Trumps to lenders and insurers over about ten years were false, concluding that they had repeatedly committed fraud.

This judgment marks a significant defeat for Trump and wholly refutes his claims that he didn’t inflate the values of his golf courses, hotels, and residences at Mar-a-Lago and Seven Springs in financial statements that were continually employed in business dealings.

“Today, a judge ruled in our favour and found that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization engaged in years of financial fraud,” James asserted in a statement on Tuesday night. “We look forward to presenting the rest of our case at trial.”

The attorney general is pursuing $250 million in damages, and a prohibition on the Trumps from serving as officers of a business in New York, along with a suspension of the company from participating in business transactions for five years.

Engoron has annulled the business certifications of the Trump entities implicated in the case, including the Trump Organization. He declared a receiver would be appointed to “manage the dissolution” of the corporate entities. The commercial tower at 40 Wall Street and the Trump family compound at Seven Springs, both New York properties, are included in the lawsuit.

Nonetheless, the comprehensive implications of his ruling remain undefined. Queries linger about how the receiver will proceed with dissolving the properties, whether the ruling will have repercussions on properties located outside of New York state, including Mar-a-Lago, and if the Trumps could relocate the New York-based assets into a new company stationed out of state.