Engoron ruled in September that Trump’s financial statements were fraudulent, leaving the focus of the trial on how much Trump should pay in penalties. James sought US$370 million in penalties and a New York commercial real estate ban on Trump and his two adult sons, Donald Jr and Eric Trump.
The trial featured some dramatic testimony. Trump during a defiant appearance on the witness stand boasted about his business acumen and accused James and Engoron of partisanship. Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen testified for the state.
Cohen testified that he manipulated the values of Trump’s real estate properties to match “whatever number Mr Trump told us”. Trump afterwards called Cohen a “disgraceful fellow”. His lawyers grilled Cohen on his criminal record and accused him of lying to boost his book sales and podcast traffic.
Donald Jr, Eric and Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump also testified. They said they had little to no involvement in their father’s financial statements while running the Trump Organization, an umbrella company for Trump’s many business ventures. Unlike her brothers, Ivanka Trump was not a defendant.
