The long-awaited 92-page decision by Judge Arthur Engoron came just weeks after closing arguments in the case following a months-long trial in 2023.
As long as Trump’s case has been analyzed, the former president often lashed out at the magistrate and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who conducted the investigation and brought the indictment against him.
James sued Trump in 2022, alleging that he falsely altered his net worth in key financial statements to receive tax and insurance benefits.
The documents, which detailed the value of the Trump Organization’s various assets, were sent to banks and insurers to secure loans and settlements, which the State says are pieces of fraud evidence.
The fine is about USD$16 million less than the USD$370 million initially handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and will also bar the former president from engaging in business in New York for three years.
Friday’s ruling concludes a week in which the former president spent more time with lawyers than with his electoral campaign.
Just his legal representative Alina Habba anticipated on Thursday her doubts about the reaction of her client, who might not be satisfied with the sentence.
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