Trump hit with $354.9 million penalty, 3-year ban in NY civil fraud case
(This Feb. 16 story has been refiled to fix a typo in 'blank-check' in paragraph 22)
By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Donald Trump must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, a New York judge ruled on Friday, handing the former U.S. president another legal setback in a civil case that imperils his real estate empire.
Justice Arthur Engoron, in a sharply worded decision issued after a contentious three-month trial in Manhattan, also banned Trump, who is running to regain the presidency this year, from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years. Trump's lawyer Alina Habba vowed to appeal.
Engoron canceled his prior ruling from September ordering the «dissolution» of companies that control pillars of Trump's real estate empire, saying on Friday that this was no longer necessary because he is appointing an independent monitor and compliance director to oversee Trump's businesses.
Trump and the other defendants in the case, Engoron wrote in the ruling, «are incapable of admitting the error of their ways.»
«Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological,» Engoron wrote. «Instead, they adopt a 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' posture that the evidence belies.»
The lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and his family businesses of overstating his net worth by as much $3.6 billion a year over a decade to fool bankers into giving him better loan terms. Trump, who faces criminal charges in four other cases, has called the lawsuit a political vendetta by James, a Democrat.
In posts on his social media platform, Trump called Engoron «crooked,» James «corrupt,»
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