A protester holds a sign outside Trump Tower in Manhattan that reads, “Lies have consequences,” in response to the numerous criminal and civil cases against the former president.Photo:Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty
Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty
Donald Trumpcould lose his Manhattan skyscrapers if he fails to pay his hefty court fines, New York Attorney GeneralLetitia Jameswarned this week.
“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James toldABC News' Aaron Katersky.
The former president wasordered to pay $354.9 millionon Friday, plus an estimated $100 million in pre-judgment interest, as a penalty for committing fraud in New York.
James told ABC News that she remains “very confident” in the strength of her case — which also targeted Trump’s adult sons and senior Trump Organization executives — and it’s clear that the judge agreed, opting to bar the defendants from holding executive positions at New York businesses for a set amount of time in addition to their financial penalties.
The New York fraud ruling came just three weeks after Trump was ordered to pay formerEllecolumnist E. Jean Carroll$83.3 million in damagesfor making defamatory statements about her after she accused him of sexual assault.
The onetime real estate mogul now needs to materialize a mountain of cash — and quickly — while running a heated presidential campaign and managing legal fees in hisfour pending criminal cases. As far as James is concerned, that’s a burden he brought upon himself.
“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” James told ABC News, referring to Trump’s 927-foot-tall skyscraper in Lower Manhattan.
Trump owns numerous buildings in the state of New York — including his former Fifth Avenue residence, Trump Tower — which could also be at risk.
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One day after receiving the $355 million penalty, Trump appeared at Sneaker Con in Philadelphiato promote a new shoe linereaching prices of $399 per pair. While introducing the self-branded sneakers, he was met with boos from the audience.
source: people.com
