Fraud penalty verdict is out

Should have been permanently, but we'll take it.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform after the decision, Trump railed against Judge Arthur Engoron and said there “were No Victims, No Damages, No Complaints.”

He went on to further criticize Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) in multiple posts, saying the New York case was a “witch hunt” and that he was fined “$355 Million based on nothing other than having built a GREAT COMPANY.”

[...]

Additionally, the Trump campaign sent out an email an hour after the ruling calling on his supporters to donate to his presidential bid to “end the which hunt” against him.

  The Hill

AKA pay the fine for him.

Donald Trump, his eldest sons and associates have been ordered to pay over $350m by a New York judge who found them guilty of intentionally committing financial fraud over the course of a decade.

“The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience,” Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in his decision. In a devastating blow for the former president who had built his reputation as a successful real estate developer, Engoron barred Trump and two other executives from serving as officers or directors of any corporation or entity in New York for three years. His sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr, were banned for two years.

[...]

“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,” Engoron wrote.

In his decision Engoron said the defendants’ “fact and expert witnesses simply denied reality, and defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences” adding the defendants “complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological”.

  Guardian

I think it crosses the border.

The decision will make it hard for any Trump family member to run the business in the near future. Trump’s adult sons were each fined $4m. Eric Trump acts as the Trump Organization’s chief executive.

[...]

Trump has denied all wrongdoing and will probably appeal the decision.

There's no "probably" to it.

In Friday’s verdict, Engoron overturned his initial ruling, saying that “the cancellation of the business licenses is no longer necessary” as he is ordering the appointment of two court monitors to oversee “major activities that could lead to fraud”.

[...]

In determining the size of the fine, Engoron agreed with prosecutors that Trump saved about $168m in interest by inflating the value of assets. Another $126m came from calculating the “ill-gotten profits” Trump received from selling the Old Post Office building in Washington DC, which Trump would not have been able to purchase, Engoron said, without using false financial statements.

"AND" saddled him with a monitor?

UPDATE 06:05 pm:  Seriously deluded...

And having to have someone monitor his business must just burn him up.

While interest continues to accrue?  

The emails to gullible MAGA supporters are going to be daily, if not hourly.

In his initial summary judgement ruling, which was handed down in September, Judge Engoron ordered some of Mr Trump's business licenses be rescinded — a punishment widely known as "corporate death penalty".

That order was on hold while Mr Trump appealed, but in Saturday's ruling, the judge has backed off from that move, describing it as being "no longer necessary".

The former president could be forced to pay the hundreds of millions of dollars in fines while he appeals.

Former prosecutor Mitchell Epner said this could take up to 36 months as the appeal process in New York tends to be very slow.

[...]

"[This will] create a real cash flow crunch for Donald Trump, even if he's as wealthy as he contends he is."

[...]

[Trump's] lawyer and spokeswoman Alina Habba confirmed the former president will be appealing the ruling.

If the decision were to stand, "it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business," she said.

  ABC

Not "every single American." The wiser ones will get the signal that you can't perform fraud in New York without getting smacked down.

If he doesn't come up with the nearly half a billion dollars he has been fined to put in holding while on appeal, New York can begin the process of seizing his properties.

Of course, Trump won't be paying the fines and damages.  The Saudis, Russians, Jared, the RNC, and Trump rubes will.