Former President Donald Trump’s estranged niece, Mary Trump, wrote on Friday what could bring her uncle to “brink of ruin” in his New York civil fraud case.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump, his adult sons and The Trump Organization of fraudulently overvaluing their assets to secure more favorable bank loans and taxation deals. James’ lawsuit initially sought $250 million in damages, but in a court filing on Friday, James increased this to $370 million, plus interest. She said this reflected new evidence that had come to light during the trial. In September 2023, Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the case, concluded that Trump, his adult sons, The Trump Organization and a number of business associates were liable for civil fraud. The trial, which began a month later, primarily focused on whether Trump had broken other New York laws and what penalty he should receive. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has maintained his innocence.
In addition to the $370 million-plus interest fine in Friday’s filing, James’ team also called for Trump to be permanently banned from operating in New York’s real estate market, along with five-year bans for his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
In response to James’ request, Mary Trump took to her Substack on Friday to give insight into what she predicts could bring Trump to the “brink of ruin”—his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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“While a possible $370 million fine and a lifetime New York real estate ban would rock Donald’s world, there is one very realistic outcome that could send set Donald on the brink of ruin: being forced to sell Mar-a-Lago,” she wrote.
Mary Trump also wrote about speaking with attorney Joe Gallina and the possibility of Trump selling Mar-a-Lago as part of the damages of the lawsuit.
“While Florida has some residence protection laws, they have only ever applied to traditional residences. Mar-a-Lago, a members-only club with guest rooms, is not a normal residence. The property is also not protected from Engoron’s coming ruling,” Gallina told Mary Trump.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
However, a filing by Trump’s legal team on Friday argued that James is not “entitled” to disgorgement and “has not demonstrated any real-world impact, any material misstatements, or rebutted the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”
“The record is devoid of any evidence to support a conclusion that any of the SFCs were materially misstated from the lens of the user,” it states.
Meanwhile, Trump responded to James’ increased fine request on Friday in a post to his Truth Social account and branded James as “totally corrupt,” without providing any supporting evidence, argued the case “should never have been brought” and wrote that “they should pay me.”
“I did nothing wrong, my financial statements are great, & very conservative, the exact opposite of what the highly political & totally corrupt New York State attorney general says…now the corrupt A.G. [attorney general] wants $370,000,000 as businesses flee New York. They should pay me. This is prosecutorial misconduct – a DOJ [Department of Justice] witch hunt!” the former president wrote.
Engoron, whom Trump has repeatedly lashed out at during the trial, will ultimately decide the trial’s outcome and is expected to deliver a ruling by the end of January. Due to the nature of the lawsuit, the former president is facing a bench trial without a jury.
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