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The judge who levied the outrageously high fine against former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud case earlier this year has issued a new order.
Judge Arthur Engoron “ordered the Republican presumptive presidential nominee to inform the court of any attempt to secure a bond ahead of Monday’s deadline,” Newsmax reported. Trump has until then to come up with $454 million or New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the civil lawsuit against Trump, is preparing to seize some of his properties in the state.
Engoron, in his order, “said the Trump Organization needs to provide details on any attempt to secure a bond to the court-appointed monitor, former federal Judge Barbara Jones,” the outlet’s report noted.
“The Trump Organization shall inform the Monitor, in advance, of any efforts to secure surety bonds,” Engoron said in his order, as well as “any personal guarantees made by any of the Defendants,” per NBC News.
It’s uncertain why Engoron made the ruling so close to Monday’s deadline. However, the ruling coincides with Trump’s legal team’s efforts to persuade an appellate court on Thursday to exempt him from paying the fine before his appeal, arguing that he would suffer “irreparable harm” if required to pay before the appeal is resolved.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump turned to social media to criticize Engoron for placing him in an “impossible” situation where he would either have to forfeit assets or pay hundreds of millions of dollars.
“If I sold assets, and then won the Appeal, the assets would be forever gone. Also, putting up money before an Appeal is VERY EXPENSIVE. When I win the Appeal, all of that money is gone, and I would have done nothing wrong,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “He gave us a demand which he knows is impossible to do.”
But on Friday morning, Trump posted an update on his Truth Social platform, noting in all caps that he has raised the required amount of capital:
THROUGH HARD WORK, TALENT, AND LUCK, I CURRENTLY HAVE ALMOST FIVE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WHICH I INTENDED TO USE IN MY CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT. THE OFTEN OVERTURNED POLITICAL HACK JUDGE ON THE RIGGED AND CORRUPT A.G. CASE, WHERE I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG, KNEW THIS, WANTED TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME, AND THAT’S WHERE AND WHY HE CAME UP WITH THE SHOCKING NUMBER WHICH, COUPLED WITH HIS CRAZY INTEREST DEMAND, IS APPROXIMATELY $454,000,000. I DID NOTHING WRONG EXCEPT WIN AN ELECTION IN 2016 THAT I WASN’T EXPECTED TO WIN, DID EVEN BETTER IN 2020, AND NOW LEAD, BY A LOT, IN 2024. THIS IS COMMUNISM IN AMERICA!
James initiated the initial phase of asset seizures by formally notifying Trump of the civil judgment against him in Westchester County, New York, where Trump holds property.
Engoron’s order also instructs Trump to disclose any transfers of $5 million or more “to any individual defendant.”
“Defendants shall not evade the terms of the Monitorship Order by transferring assets, reincorporating existing business entities in other forms or jurisdictions, modifying entity ownership, or any other form of restructuring or change in corporate form,” the order said.
“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary came out against the “outrageous” $454 million bond Trump has been ordered to pay in his New York civil fraud case.
During an interview on Fox News’ “Outnumbered” earlier this month, O’Leary argued that the “extraordinary” penalty is “an attack on America.”
He also addressed the news that Trump’s attorneys revealed in court that the ex-president hasn’t been able to secure the massive bond, which could lead to New York Attorney General Letitia James moving to seize some of Trump’s properties in the Big Apple.
