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AG James Tells NY Appeals Court REJECT TRUMPs' Deception on $454MIL Fraud Case
NY AG Letitia James Tells NY Appeals Court to REJECT TRUMPs' Meritless Arguments & Deception
As TRUMP Appeals $454 Million Fraud Case, NY AG Letitia James Fights Back
AP 24 AUG 2024
New York Attorney General Letitia James urged an appeals court to uphold the $454 million court judgment against former President Donald Trump for misleading lenders, arguing the award was "supported by overwhelming evidence" of his deception.
James' Wednesday night brief responded to Trumps appeal over the $454 million judgment he and some Trump entities face after Judge Arthur Engoron concluded that he inflated the value of his assets over several years to get better loan and insurance terms.
Interest is continuing to grow on that judgment, as well as on about $10 million in liability Engoron imposed against former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg and Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr.
A Victimless Offense? NY AG disagrees
Trump argued in his July appeal brief that he didn't violate the New York fraud statute at issue in the case because, even assuming he misvalued his assets, he didn't hurt anyone.
He noted, for example, that the Trump Organization repaid Deutsche Bank hundreds of millions of dollars in loans it received after giving the bank Trump's financial statements, which included asset valuations that Engoron concluded were fraudulent.
The financial representations "involved no victims, no complaints, no evidence of causation, no injuries, no losses to any business or consumer, and no impact on any public interest," his lawyers wrote on his behalf.
James shot back that evidence of past harm isn't the only issue because one of the statute's purposes is to stop fraud before it causes harm.
The Stakes Are Large
If Trump loses his appeal, he would have to come up with the hefty judgment in cash or watch James seize his assets.
The Republican presidential nominee has already indicated that would be painful: In March, his lawyers said coming up with a bond of more than $450 million bond to block James from seizing assets during his appeal was a "practical impossibility" unless he engaged in a real estate fire sale that "would inevitably result in massive, irrecoverable losses." The appeals court later reduced the bond to $175 million for him and his co-defendants.
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