Today, New York judge Arthur F. Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million in a civil fraud case where Trump was found guilty of intentionally committing extensive financial fraud over the course of several years.
Some of the judge’s findings and comments in the 92- page decision:
• “The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience…”
• On Trump’s and his co-defendants’ stubborn refusal to admit errors, “the defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences…[they]are incapable of admitting the error of their ways….””.
• “Defendants are likely to continue their fraudulent ways unless the court grants significant injunctive relief…”
• “Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial…His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility.”
Justice Engoron was so offended by Trump’s and his co-defendants’ lack of contrition, refusal to admit errors, etc. that he felt the need to write the following section under the heading “Refusal to Admit Error,” quoting Alexander Pope:
The English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) first declared, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Defendants apparently are of a different mind. After some four years of investigation and litigation, the only error (“inadvertent,” of course) that they acknowledge is the tripling of the size of the Trump Tower Penthouse, which cannot be gainsaid. Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. Defendants did not commit murder or arson. They did not rob a bank at gunpoint. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff. Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways. Instead, they adopt a “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” posture that the evidence belies.
This Court is not constituted to judge morality; it is constituted to find facts and apply the law. In this particular case, in applying the law to the facts, the Court intends to protect the integrity of the financial marketplace and, thus, the public as a whole. Defendants’ refusal to admit error—indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor—constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained.
Indeed, Donald Trump testified that, even today, he does not believe the Trump Organization needed to make any changes based on the facts that came out during this trial.
Not only did Justice Engoron order Trump to pay $355 million, but he also barred him from New York business for three years.
Which begs the question, “If Trump is banned from running a company for three years, how can he be trusted to run a country for four years?”
