New York Attorney General Letitia James said that she would seek to have former President Donald Trump’s buildings seized by a judge if he is unable or unwilling to pay a $363 million fine from a civil fraud case.
Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization were ordered to pay the fine Friday after a judge said that they had committed fraud by over-estimating the value of his properties in order to seek better financing and insurance.
James, who filed the civil lawsuit, told ABC News that she was confident the ruling would stand up to an appeal by the Trumps.
“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.
“So at the end of the day how he pays for the judgement is really not my business,” James added. “At the end of the day he is responsible and liable for $363 million dollars plus a hundred million dollars in interest.”
She also addressed the contention from Trump and his defenders that the ruling was unjust because there were no victims involved.
“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,” James argued. “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.”
The former president has lashed out at New York state Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron and at James and accused them of participating in a “witch hunt” against him out of political motivation. He called James a “slob” and accused them of conspiring with the White House.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers,” said James.
Here are the comments from James:
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