Former President Donald Trump arrived in lower Manhattan court Monday morning for his civil trial on charges he overstated the value of his wealth.
The 2024 Republican presidential front-runner, 77, left Trump Tower in Midtown around 9 a.m. to head to Manhattan Supreme Court in midtown, where he will face trial over New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit accusing him of fraud.
The non-jury trial is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with opening statements from both sides — the James team and lawyers for Trump, the Trump Organization and co-defendants including the former president’s son and longtime confidants.
Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations, and posted on Truth Social Sunday night that he would personally appear in court to fight the allegations.
“I will go to the Court [Monday] morning to fight for my name and reputation,” he wrote late Sunday.
Trump is facing trial on charges he overstated the value of his real estate.GC Images
The former president also used the opportunity to lash out at James and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who oversaw the case, calling him “unfair, disaffected, and vicious in his pursuit of me.”
Trump is accused of making false statements in business documents to obtain favorable terms with banks.
That includes his penthouse in Trump Tower, where the former president was photographed on Sunday — and which he claims is 30,000 square feet when it’s actually closer to just 11,000 feet.
Trump and his son Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as his former lawyer Michael Cohen are all listed as potential witnesses at the trial, which could last until December.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has alleged in a federal lawsuit that Trump, his businesses and his children overstate the value of his assets by $3.6 billion a year.REUTERS
However, the former president and his close associates are not expected to testify for several weeks in the proceedings.
James has claimed that Trump, his businesses and his children overvalue his assets by $3.6 billion a year.
The suit seeks to force Trump to repay the state about $250 million in penalties, halt Trump’s ability to do business in New York and bar him and his team from buying commercial real estate for several years.
Engoron handed James a decisive victory in court last week, when he ruled that Trump ran a years-long fraud scheme by lying on company documents.
He revoked the New York “certificate of business” of the Trump Organization and any other New York-based businesses operated by Trump or his family — while ordering that an independent third party be assigned to “manage the dissolution of the revoked LLC.”
Engoron will ultimately rule on the six remaining claims in James’ lawsuit after the trial.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron handed James a decisive victory in court last week, when he ruled that Trump ran a years-long fraud scheme by lying on company documents.AP
“For years, Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth to enrich himself and cheat the system,” James said in a statement Monday morning.
“We won the foundation of our case last week and proved that his alleged net worth was long rooted in an incredible fraud. In this country, there are consequences for this type of ongoing fraud, and we hope to show the full extent of the fraud and illegality during the trial,” he said.
“No matter how rich or powerful you are, there are not two sets of laws for the people in this country. The rule of law must apply equally to everyone, and it is my responsibility to ensure that it does.”
Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
