Donald Trump ordered by judge to face fraud charges in New York

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By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York judge said on Friday that former U.S. President Donald Trump must face a lawsuit by the state’s attorney general accusing him of fraudulently overvaluing his family’s assets. namesake real estate company and his own net worth.

Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his adult children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka and the Trump Organization in September over an alleged scheme to inflate Trump’s assets by billions of dollars in through a decade of lying to banks and insurers, in what he called a “shocking” fraud.

Justice Arthur Engoron of state Supreme Court in Manhattan rejected defense claims that James waited too long to sue, failed to establish fraud, and that the $250 million in damages he was seeking should have been more justified.

He also said that Ivanka Trump could be sued despite her claims that she has not falsified values ​​and has not worked for the Trump Organization since 2017, saying she could be held liable for participating in “continuous wrongdoing .”

The judge also decided not to punish the defendants for making arguments including that James was conducting a political “witch hunt” and had no legal authority to sue.

“The sophisticated defense counsel should know better,” Engoron wrote however.

Attorneys for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, James said Trump “engaged in years of extensive financial fraud to enrich himself and cheat the system,” and should defend himself in court.

He also wants to prevent the Trumps from operating businesses in New York, and ban Trump and his company from acquiring real estate there for five years. A trial is scheduled for October 2.

The lawsuit is one of many legal problems affecting Trump, who is seeking another term as president in 2024.

These include criminal investigations related to the FBI’s seizure of government documents from his Florida home, and his role in efforts to overturn or obstruct the results of the presidential election. in 2020.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is also conducting a criminal investigation related to James’ civil case, and the Trump Organization faces a Jan. 13 sentencing after being convicted of tax fraud in another case in New York.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot and David Gregorio)

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