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A New York judge has fined former US President Donald Trump, 77, $5,000 for defaming a court official. Judge Arthur Engoron, who is in charge of Trump’s asset fraud trial, imposed the sentence Friday for violating his order not to comment publicly on court personnel, a court document shows. He also threatened jail time for future violations.
In early October, the ex-president published a photo of one of the judge’s associates on his online platform Truth Social and described her as a “friend” of Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Engoron subsequently banned anyone involved in the trial from publicly commenting on its employees: “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable.”
The post was quickly deleted on Truth Social. But it remained on Trump’s campaign website. The judge said he “learned last night that the offending message was never removed from the DonaldJTrump.com website and, in fact, had remained on that site for seventeen days.” The message was ultimately only removed after an email from the court.
During a hearing, the judge asked Trump’s defense team, according to media reports confirmed by a court spokesperson, why he should not impose “severe penalties” on the ex-president – including “fines” and possibly even a prison sentence. Attorney Chris Kise responded that it was a mistake. “I apologize on behalf of my client.”
Engoron now settled for a fine of just under 4,500 francs. At the same time, he warned that he would impose “much harsher penalties” for contempt of court for possible future violations. A prison sentence is also a possibility.
The civil trial against Trump in New York began in early October. New York Attorney General Letitia James accuses the ex-president and entrepreneur of inflating the assets of his real estate empire over the years to get better terms on loans and insurance. Judge Engoron ruled before the trial began that Trump had overestimated his assets and had therefore committed “fraud.”
The civil case mainly concerns the question of how high the sentence will be against Trump and his sons Donald Trump Junior (45) and Eric Trump (39). James has demanded a fine of $250 million, among other things. Trump is not threatened with prison time.
Trump, who has repeatedly appeared in person at the trial, has rejected all allegations and described them as politically motivated. The Republican, who is seeking to run again in the 2024 presidential election, has also repeatedly attacked Judge Engoron and Attorney General James.
In addition to the civil suits alleging fraud in New York, the ex-president has been charged in four criminal cases. Two charges relate to the right-wing populist’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election to remain in power. (AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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