Trump and two sons – fined and banned fromBusiness in New York

Trump has been fined $354.9m following being found ‘guilty – on all counts’- over a fifteen-year period his civil fraud trial in New York.

With interest included, he will have to pay at least $453.5m – and has also been banned from running businesses in the State of New York for three years.

The size of the fine was based on an expert assessment of how much money the Trump Org.  saved through the fraud – calculated at $168m.

His sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were also guilty – each ordered to pay $4m and received similar bans for two years.

Also, Trump and the Trump Organisation cannot apply for loans from any New York financial institution for three years.

Following the verdict, Trump, as usual, took to his Truth Social platform to vent his anger – describing the decision as a “complete and total sham” and accused the Judge and prosecutors of being “deluded, biased and crooked”

All comments he had made in court – a number of times – direct to the Judge and attorney General themselves.

Not very sensible – as they were solely responsible for deciding his punishment/s – it being a civil case with no jury.

So now, for three years, Trump cannot personally run a business in the State of New York (the headquarters of the whole Trump Organisation).

Hard to miss the irony – that he may be running the USA before the end of the year – but is barred from running his family business.

To compound his humiliation, the judge imposed “a monitor” on his organisation – required to give prior approval of any financial dealings.

This cancelled his prior ruling from September ordering the “dissolution” of companies that control areas of Trump’s real estate empire – saying this was no longer necessary because he is appointing an independent monitor and compliance manager.

He, of course – plans to appeal against the ruling, declaring it a “witch hunt” by a crooked New York State judge, working with a totally corrupt Attorney General.”

The Judge, having been criticised and abused by Trump, throughout the trial – had already written in his judgement –

“The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.

“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological’.

He is a “pathological fraudster who would not stop unless forced’.

Instead, they adopt a ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ posture that the evidence belies. They are incapable of admitting the error of their ways’.

Trump’s defence team -volleyed back:

“Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: this is not just about Donald Trump – if this decision stands, it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business.”

My initial reaction to this was – they are getting desperate – but have least moved on from the ‘witch-hunt’ line and the ‘I have done nothing wrong’ – which Trump seems to still favour.

It seems that all his defence team can come up with,  in this case, is an argument that New York – having found the senior executives of a large  New York based business organisation, guilty of large-scale fraud and fining and banning – them – will now find that no business – and in fact, no American,  wants to do business in New York!

When surely, any business operating legally – or any American – would prefer to operate in a properly regulated business environment and not compete with fraudsters?

I can understand that his lawyers have had a big, difficult job over a long period – and don’t doubt that he is not the easiest of clients – but they are running out of ideas.

I predict that – most of those lawyers currently employed by him -will not be employed for very long – because he never accepts personal blame for anything and is quick to find other people to blame.

I might add that – the last scheduled trial for Trump is the perhaps – most serious indictment – with 40 separate counts – of mishandling classified documents.

Scheduled – at the moment – for 20 May. He may even find it difficult to find a legal team.

I predict – the final act – will be legal actions against Trump for non-payment of legal fees.  He is well known for firing individuals and corporate contractors / suppliers – and then  not paying them and claiming that they had not performed their contractual obligations- and then dragging them through the courts until they give up.

He would claim in the In the case of his lawyers – their contractual obligations are to ‘get him off’ – if they fail to do that – why should he pay them!  Irrespective of the fact that he has spent most of his time in court abusing the judges. prosecutors and the judicial system as a whole – because it was all their fault.

A brief example:

He has already ruined his lead lawyer for many years (who both, served him for many years – and has been ruined for many years – in fact permanently –  – Rudy Giuliani –    ex Mayor of New York.  (see  post –  ‘Trump Dumped Gulliano’).

Trump’s Personal Finces –

Trump’s Finance dealings that will exercise him personally, of course, are the matter of the $453.5 that he now has to produce – on top of the $90m – he has been ordered to pay to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation.

Trump may have a claimed net worth of around $2bn – which now seems  almosr certainly over-estimated by a large amount.   These penalties will clearly  test his reserves of ready cash.