By Elias Barcena 
Manhattan, New York- on Tuesday, September 26th, a New York judge found Donald J. Trump guilty of fraud, committed over the course of several years.
The decision by Judge Arthur Engoron of the New York state court addresses a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit claims that the former president, his adult sons, the Trump Organization, and several others defrauded banks and insurers by overvaluing assets and inflating Trump’s net worth on financial paperwork.
Manhattan prosecutors inquired into bringing criminal charges against the former president but opted not to, allowing James to bring forward a civil trial.
In his 35-page ruling, Judge Engorn wrote, “In defendants’ world: rent-regulated apartments are worth the same as unregulated apartments; restricted land is worth the same as unrestricted land; restrictions can evaporate into thin air; a disclaimer by one party casting responsibility on another party exonerates the other party’s lies.” “That is a fantasy world, not the real world.” The judge also ordered the cancellation of business licenses of the Trump Organization and other corporate defendants. An independent monitor has also been instructed to oversee the Trump Organization’s operations.
The former president, who holds a significant lead in his race for the 2024 RNC Nomination for President, has been indicted four times over the last six months. In response to the ruling, Donald Trump, on the social media platform “Truth Social”, reposted a previous post in which he said,
“THE BANKS WERE PAID BACK IN FULL, SOMETIMES EARLY,
THERE WERE NO DEFAULTS, THE BANKS MADE MONEY,
WERE REPRESENTED BY THE BEST LAW FIRMS,
& WERE VERY ‘HAPPY.’ THERE WERE NO VICTIMS!”
James is seeking $250 million in penalties and the banning of Trump from conducting business in New York. Trump’s attorneys have asked an appeals court for a temporary delay in the appeal trial, and Trump and his attorneys have denied any wrongdoing.
In a previous case, Letitia James researched Trump’s business practices in 2019 after his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial documents provided to Deutsche Bank in his attempt to obtain financing to purchase the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. James’ office has previously sued Trump for using his charitable organization for both personal and political causes. The case, heard in New York, was ruled in James’ favor. As a result, Trump was ordered to pay 2 million dollars to an array of charities, and the Trump charity, The Trump Foundation, was shut down.
This lawsuit is the most recent development in the former President’s bid to become the 2024 Republican nominee. He currently leads RNC polling by 30.7 points.