We reported in late September on a significant move made by a New York judge against the former president Donald Trump. The ruling was against Trump and his family’s businesses and their value.
Here is what we covered back then:
A New York Court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump committed fraud to build his fortune. Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump’s company had overstated the value of their assets and net worth to defraud insurers and banks. Engoron found that Trump went beyond mere puffery to obtain lower insurance and loan rates. The 35-page decision found that just as the former president had been somewhat parsimonious with the truth in his dealings with business partners, he and his legal team had actively obstructed the lawsuit and tried to prevent the special master appointed to monitor Trump Organization operations from doing their job.
This ruling comes just days before the trial begins and is in response to both Trump and James seeking summary judgment on the facts. When the bench trial starts, Judge Engoron will focus on deciding how much of the $250 million in restitution James has demanded Trump will have to pay.
Engoron also imposed a $7500 fine each on five members of Trump’s legal team, “to make defendants’ lawyers aware of the serious consequences of engaging repeatedly in frivolous motions after this court and the appellate division had warned them to refrain from doing so.” Engoron also revoked business licenses for some of Trump’s businesses and appointed a receiver to oversee their dissolution. This includes Trump’s flagship Trump Organization.
As my colleague reported Monday, Donald Trump publicly commented on the judge’s decision. He called the proceedings in NY “disgraceful” and he personally attacked Engoron. In part, he said:
A judge should be removed from office. Charges should be brought against this judge.
On Thursday, Judge Engoron updated his prior motion regarding the Trump business assets.
On Thursday, Judge Arthur Engoron released an order that prohibited former President Donald Trump from transferring any of his assets without notifying a court monitor.
Engoron’s supplemental order states that Trump and the other defendants must disclose all of the entities they own and declare in advance “any anticipated transfer of assets or liabilities to any other entities.”
During Trump’s social media rant, he made remarks about the clerk of a judge; Engoron ruled that a partial gag was imposed on him.
He issued a partial order of gag on Trump that prohibited him from discussing the court staff on social networks.
This order is not just for the former President:
In addition to Trump, the order applies to Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, and Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney. The group has until October 26 to hand over the information to former federal judge Barbara Jones, the monitor who is already overseeing the Trump Organization’s finances.
