While former President Donald Trump may rack up millions of dollars in interest penalties by reportedly failing to pay more than $450 million in a judgment, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been racking up major wins in court.
James, a Black woman who had been leading efforts to punish Trump for alleged crimes, landed a victory this month in the penalty phase of a civil fraud case after a judge determined last year that he and his company fraudulently inflated his net worth and assets more than a decade ago to obtain loans and insurance.
And James’ second win in court against a powerful gun rights advocacy group has boosted her reputation for winning high-profile cases that hold wealthy figures accountable for alleged criminal acts. It’s unclear about her specific political ambitions, but those victories could potentially influence her political future. She had a short stint seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022 but decided to turn her attention to her reelection campaign as attorney general.
New York State Supreme Court First Judicial District Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than $450 million in total, which represents $363.8 million in what’s called disgorgement and prejudgment interest, according to a press release from the New York Attorney General’s office.
In addition to the payment, some of the other penalties included barring Trump from operating any businesses in New York for three years, and he’s banned from applying for loans from any New York bank for three years as well.
On Monday, lawyers for Trump officially filed notice that they are appealing the civil fraud judgment against him and his organization, saying they want to find out whether the judge made “errors of law” or “abused his discretion,” NBC News reported.
On Wednesday, Feb. 29, appellate court Judge Anil Singh denied Trump’s request to post only $100 million of the total judgment as he…
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