New York Judge Finds Donald Trump Liable for Fraud: A Major Setback for the Former President

A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump and his family business liable for fraud, saying they inflated the value of their assets by billions of dollars to obtain better loan terms and insurance coverage. The ruling, by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, is a major victory for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and the Trump Organization in September 2022. James’s lawsuit alleged that Trump and his company engaged in a “pattern of persistent fraud“ by misrepresenting the value of their assets on financial statements provided to lenders and insurers. In his ruling, Engoron said that Trump and the Trump Organization “repeatedly and persistently misrepresented the value of their assets“ and that their financial statements were “false and misleading.“ The judge also found that Trump and his company had engaged in a “scheme to deceive“ lenders and insurers and that they