Former President Donald Trump says he will go to court on Monday, even though he doesn’t have to. He says he wants to start a civil trial in a case where he was already found guilty of fraud in his business dealings. This comes as power over some of his most valuable real estate is in danger.
“I’m going to court tomorrow morning to defend my honor and good name,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page Sunday night.
The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, is suing Trump, and Judge Arthur Engoron made the fraud decision last week and is in charge of the non-jury trial. Trump slammed them in his post.
“THIS WHOLE CASE IS A MAKE-BELIEVE!” Trump put it in writing. “See you in court on Monday.”
James looked into Trump and his company for years and said they regularly lied on financial documents about Trump’s wealth. The trial is the end of his probe.
Engoron settled the main claim of the case last week, before the trial even started. He said that Trump regularly lied to banks, insurers, and other people by overstating the value of his assets on paperwork used to make deals and get loans.
Many people close to the former president are on the list of possible witnesses. This includes his two oldest sons, leaders at the Trump Organization, and Michael Cohen, a former lawyer who turned against him.
Trump isn’t likely to appear for a few weeks. His trip to court on Monday will be very different from how he usually acts.
Last year, Trump didn’t show up to court to watch or be a witness when his company and one of its top leaders were found guilty of tax fraud. Then there was the trial earlier this year, where he was found guilty of sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room, but he didn’t show up.
Though this new study has bigger risks in some ways,
James, a Democrat, wants to fine the company $250 million and not be able to do business in New York.
Engoron’s decision from last week could mean that he has to give up valuable New York properties like Trump Tower, a Wall Street office building, golf courses, and a suburban estate if the appeal is granted. Additionally, it would imply that a court-appointed receiver would manage some of his businesses.
He called it “a corporate death penalty.”
“I have a crazy judge who hates Trump who RUSHED this fake case through a NYS court at a speed that has never been seen before,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
Trump wrote in his post on Sunday night that Engoron is “unfair, mad, and mean in his pursuit of me.”
Engoron will rule on the last six claims in James’ lawsuit. These include claims of conspiracy, business record fraud, and insurance fraud.
James’ lawsuit said that Trump and his business lied to banks about many things in the financial records they gave him. James’ office recently told the court that Trump lied about how much money he had—as much as $3.6 billion.
According to the accusations, Trump said that his three-story rooftop apartment in Trump Tower in Manhattan was worth an amazing $327 million and was almost three times as big as it really was. James said that a flat in New York City has never sold for that much.
It was said that Trump thought Mar-a-Lago was worth as much as $739 million, which is more than 10 times what most people would think it was worth. Trump’s number for the private club and home was based on the idea that the land, which is now a private club, could be turned into a home, but James said that is against the terms of the contract.
Trump has denied doing anything wrong. In sworn evidence for the case, he said that it didn’t matter what he put on his financial statements because they have a note that says you shouldn’t trust them.
The man and his lawyers have also said that the financial records did not hurt anyone. The banks he borrowed money from got their money back in full. Partners in a business make money. And Trump’s own business did well.
Trump is up against a lot of legal problems as he runs for office again next year. James’ case is just one of them. Since March, he has been charged four times with plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss, keeping secret documents, and lying about business records connected to hush money paid for him.
He said the trial might go on until December.