Biggest bombshells from Trump fraud trial as he is ordered to pay out £281M
Donald Trump has been ordered to pay millions in penalties and banned from running businesses in New York City after losing his civil fraud case.
Justice Arthur Engoron of the Supreme Court of New York handed down the decision on Friday which could have a massive impact on the former president’s wealth.
Justice Engoron has delivered his verdict in a 92-page-long filing after a two-and-a-half month trial which was often fiery and saw the Republican presidential front-runner alleging that he was the victim of a rigged legal system.
The verdict could wipe out Trump’s wealth
This is a crushing defeat for Trump, the former president has been found liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and the massive $355 million (£281 million) penalty could completely wipe out his stockpile of cash.
READ MORE: Donald Trump LOSES civil fraud trial - ordered to pay £281M and barred from running businesses in NYC
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Trump spent years building the multinational collection of skyscrapers, golf courses and other properties that catapulted him to wealth and fame. Much of Trump's wealth is in real estate holdings, with much of it in New York and this ruling could prove disastrous for his businesses.
The ruling bars Trump from holding executive office at a New York company, including his own Trump Organization or getting loans from New York banks for three years. The rulings against his two sons, Eric and Donald Jr, throws into doubt whether any member of the Trump family can run the business in the short term.
Engoron's bombshell pre-trial judgement
Judge Arthur Engoron (PETER FOLEY/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Days before the trial proper was due to start Juege Engoron dropped a bombshell pre-trial judgement ruling that documented evidence submitted showing that Trump had committed fraud.
Engoron made a ruling then and there revoking Trump’s business and real estate licenses but the Republican frontrunner appealed it, which is still going through the appellate court.
Because the core of the case had already been decided, the trial was a massive uphill battle for Trump’s team. The arguments in the trial were focussed not on whether Trump was guilty or innocent, but rather the size of the fine he would have to pay.
How there being no jury actually hurt Trump
Despite earlier reporting that there was no jury in the case because Trump's legal team “forgot to check a box” on a form - the judge in fact , saying, "We are having a non-jury trial because we are hearing a non-jury case.” Engoron added, “It would have not helped to make a motion. Nobody forgot to check off a box.”
However that meant the decision was down to Justice Engoron alone and it appears he came down hard, demanding the former president pay $355 million and barring him from doing business in New York for three years.
Trump stands with his lawyer Alina Habba as she speaks to the media following closing arguments at his civil fraud trial (Getty Images)Trump's angry rants on the stand
Trump’s performance on the witness stand did not endear him to the judge. While his angry rants targeting Judge Engoron and New York attorney general, Letitia James delighted his supporters, it may have hurt his credibility in the eyes of the court.
“We have a hostile judge, and it’s sad,” Trump said at one point, adding later “the fraud is on behalf of the court.”
At one point the judge spoke to Trump’s lawyers in obvious frustration at their clients rambling on the stand, saying: “I beseech you to control him or I will.
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Judge Engoron wrote in the ruling that the judgment against Donald Trump and his companies was partly due to how the former president had "compromised his credibility" as a witness when he testified in early November.
Judge Engoron wrote: "Overall, Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial. His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility."
President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for his civil fraud trial on January 11 (Getty Images)Trump family also face judgement in court
Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr were also barred from running businesses in New York for two years and were fined more than $4 million each.
The pair took the stand during the trial, with Donald Jr, executive vice-president at the Trump Organization along with Eric, denying he had anything to do with the inflated financial statements at the centre of the case.
In court, the brothers sought to shift the blame onto the company's accountants over the statements and when asked whether he ever took any steps to ensure the documents he was signing off on were accurate, Mr Trump Jr replied: "I can't recall"
Gag order issued after calling judge 'deranged'
Trump’s antagonistic tone against Judge Engoron and the trial in general became apparent early on when he called the judge “deranged” on social media.
But it was after the first day of the trial when Trump mocked one of Engoron’s workers, the principal law clerk, that the judge took action.
Trump posted a picture of the clerk with the Democratic senator Chuck Schumer and called her “Schumer’s girlfriend”. In response Engoron issued a gag order banning Trump from speaking publicly about members of his staff.
Later in the case the judge fined Trump $10,000 for what he said was a breach of the order, although Trump insisted he was talking about his former associate Michael Cohen who was giving evidence at the time.
“I am very protective of my staff, as I should be. We all know that we are in an overheated environment,” Engoron said. “I don’t want anyone to be killed.”
Indeed, on the last day of the trial a bomb squad was sent to Engoron’s house in East New York after a serious threat and court records show Engoron received a slew of death threats on his phone.
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