New York Attorney General Letitia James warned that her office will go after Donald Trump’s assets, including his Manhattan skyscraper 40 Wall Street, if he does not pay his $355 million fine.
On Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president to pay $355 million and barred him from doing business in New York for three years after finding him liable for business fraud in a lawsuit filed by James in September 2022. Trump has maintained his innocence and claimed the case is politically motivated given that he is the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race.
James told ABC News’ Aaron Katersky in an interview released on Tuesday that she will go after Trump’s assets if he doesn’t pay up.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” she said.
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Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyer Christopher Kise said the former president will appeal Engoron’s ruling, previously telling Newsweek that Trump “remains confident the Appellate Division will ultimately correct the innumerable and catastrophic errors made by a trial court untethered to the law or to reality.”
James told Katersky that she is “very confident” in the strength of her case if Trump appeals Engoron’s decision, adding again that her office will make sure Trump pays his fine.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” James said.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email and James’ office via online form for comment.
Critics of Engoron’s ruling claim that Trump’s punishment is too severe for what was, in their eyes, a victimless crime.
On Monday, Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary told Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto on Cavuto: Coast To Coast: “Every investor’s worried because where is the victim? Who lost money? This is some arbitrary decision a judge made,” referring to Trump’s civil fraud case.
Meanwhile, James argued during her interview with Katersky: “Financial frauds are not victimless crimes. He engaged in this massive amount of fraud. It wasn’t just a simple mistake, a slight oversight—the variations are wildly exaggerated, and the extent of the fraud was staggering.
“If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.