Trump fraud trial live: Ex-president awaits blockbuster verdict as hush money court date set – The Independent

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New York Attorney General Letitia James sought $370m in financial penalties and a ban on Republican presidential candidate doing business in his home town
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Fani Willis accuses prosecution of ‘lying’ in bid to remove her from Trump case
Justice Arthur Engoron has delivered his verdict in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial that sees the former president, his company, and his associates with $364m in fines and a three-year ban on doing business in the state.
The judge had already ruled that Mr Trump inflated his wealth on financial statements that were given to banks and insurers to make deals and secure favourable loans.
New York Attorney General Letitia James who brought the case had sought $370m in disgorgement from the entities.
On Thursday, another Big Apple justice, Judge Juan Merchan, denied Mr Trump’s motion to dismiss the case brought against him by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal a “hush money” payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels, setting a trial date of 25 March.
And in Georgia, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis took to the witness stand to defend herself and former boyfriend Nathan Wade against a motion arguing they should be disqualified from prosecuting the sprawling racketeering case brought against Mr Trump and others over their alleged effort to interfere in the 2020 election in the Peach State.
Donald Trump, his adult sons and their chief associates in the Trump Organization’s sprawling real-estate empire have been ordered to pay more than $364m after a months-long case targeting fraud in the family business.
The former president and his co-defendants defrauded banks and investors as part of a decade-long scheme to secure favourable financing terms for some of his brand-building properties, according to a blockbuster lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general nearly two years ago.
A final judgment from New York Justice Arthur Engoron on Friday finds the former president, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, as well as their Trump Organzation associates and Trump properties liable for tens of millions of dollars.
Mr Trump and former executives Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney are also permanently barred from New York businesses for three years. Mr Trump’s adult sons are also barred for two years.
Alex Woodward reports:
The former president is barred from New York business for three years
ORDERED that defendants Donald Trump, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the Trump Organization, Inc., Trump Organization LLC, DJT Holdings LLC, DJT Holdings Managing Member, Trump Endeavor 12 LLC, 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, Trump Old Post Office LLC, 40 Wall Street LLC, are jointly and severally liable to plaintiff in the amount of $168,040,168, with pre-judgment interest from March 4, 2019; and it is further
ORDERED that defendants Donald Trump, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the Trump Organization, Inc., and Trump Organization LLC, and the Trump Old Post Office LLC are jointly and severally liable to plaintiff in the amount of $126,828,600, with pre-judgment interest from May 11, 2022; and it is further
ORDERED that defendants Donald Trump, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the Trump Organization, Inc., and Trump Organization LLC are jointly and severally liable to plaintiff in the amount of $60,000,000, with pre-judgment interest from June 26, 2023; and it is further
ORDERED that defendant Eric Trump is liable to plaintiff in the amount of $4,013,024, with pre-judgment interest from May 11, 2022; and it is further
ORDERED that defendant Donald Trump, Jr. is liable to plaintiff in the amount of $4,013,024, with pre-judgment interest from May 11, 2022; and it is further
ORDERED that defendant Allen Weisselberg is liable to plaintiff in the amount of $1,000,000, with pre-judgment interest from January 9, 2023; and it is further
“The Court hereby enjoins Donald Trump, Allen Weisselberg, and Jeffrey McConney from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.”
“The Court hereby enjoins Donald Trump and the Trump Organization and its affiliates from applying for loans from any financial institution chartered by or registered with the New York State Department of Financial Services for a period of three years.”
Judge Arthur Engoron has published his verdict in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial.
The summary reads:
Donald Trump and entities he controls own many valuable properties, including office buildings, hotels, and golf courses. Acquiring and developing such properties required huge amounts of cash. Accordingly, the entities borrowed from banks and other lenders. The lenders required personal guarantees from Donald Trump, which were based on statements of financial condition compiled by accountants that Donald Trump engaged. The accountants created these “compilations” based on data submitted by the Trump entities. In order to borrow more and at lower rates, defendants submitted blatantly false financial data to the accountants, resulting in fraudulent financial statements. When confronted at trial with the statements, defendants’ fact and expert witnesses simply denied reality, and defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences. As detailed herein, this Court now finds defendants liable, continues the appointment of an Independent Monitor, orders the installation of an Independent Director of Compliance, and limits defendants’ right to conduct business in New York for a few years.
Read the full ruling here
Stand by for more details…
Attorneys for Donald Trump and his allies who are criminally charged in a sprawling election interference case in Georgia have been scrutinising a relationship between the prosecutor leading the case and one of her lead attorneys.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is the subject of a two-day court hearing – following allegations supported by Mr Trump and co-defendants – to interrogate her relationship with another attorney and whether they financially benefited from the case.
Defence attorneys have repeatedly questioned when she moved out of her home in South Fulton and into a condominium, suggesting that she was using the unit to conceal an alleged affair.
But testimony from Ms Willis’s father John Clifford Floyd III, a longtime civil rights activist who lived with Ms Willis, detailed the threats that the family faced shortly after she took office in early 2021, which prompted her move.
Alex Woodward is watching the proceedings:
A two-day hearing interrogates the DA’s relationship with another lawyer leading the election interference case
Michael Cohen, who served as the vice president of the Trump Organization and as counsel to former president Donald Trump, said he’s confident his ex-boss will be convicted in the Stormey Daniels hush money case.
Mr Trump’s legal team tried to get the case tossed out this week, but that effort was rejected by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. His trial has now been scheduled for 25 March.
“This is a very simple case,” said Mr Cohen. “This case could and should be over in a month with a decision.”
Michelle Del Rey has the story:
Former fixer to the ex-president is set to testify at trial
Nikki Haley is going all in on what she sees as the safest line of attack against Donald Trump — questions about his mental fitness and temperament in a year where the incumbent Democratic president is facing similar concerns.
The former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador sat down with NBC’s Craig Melvin for an interview with the Today show on Tuesday as she prepares for a showdown with Mr Trump in her home state that is a litte more than a week away. The primary election in South Carolina could be a jolt in the arm of her campaign as she continues to steeply trail the frontrunner — or, it could be the death knell of her presidential bid. It could also be neither of those things, as she plods along towards Super Tuesday in March.
Ms Haley made some of her most forceful criticism of Mr Trump’s mental state yet during the interview.
John Bowden has the story:
Former UN ambassador hopes for shock South Carolina showing as Washington Republicans declare the race over
Senator Joe Manchin, the conservative Democrat from West Virginia, will reportedly announce on Friday that he will not run for president as a third-party candidate.
Mr Manchin will reportedly make the announcement at his alma mater, West Virginia University in Morgantown, his spokeswoman confirmed to The Independent. CNN first reported the story.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC:
Senator Joe Manchin, the conservative Democrat from West Virginia, will reportedly announce on Friday that he will not run for president as a third-party candidate.
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