New York >> In the ongoing New York civil fraud trial, an accountant who prepared Donald Trump’s financial statements took the witness stand for the fourth consecutive day. The trial aims to examine whether the former president exaggerated his wealth.
Surprisingly, Trump did not attend the proceedings on this particular day, even though he had made a point to show up for the previous three days, likely to attract media attention.
The trial is based on a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, which alleges that Trump and his business intentionally manipulated financial statements to inflate the values of Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, and other assets. Trump denies any wrongdoing and believes that James, a Democrat, is targeting him to harm his 2024 presidential campaign, as he is currently leading the Republican field.
So far, the trial has featured testimonies from two accountants who were involved in preparing the financial statements that were sent to banks, insurers, and other parties.
James’ legal team is focused on demonstrating that Trump and his company had full control over the preparation of the statements, and the accountants relied on information provided by the Trump Organization.
The defense, on the other hand, is attempting to shift the blame for any inaccuracies in the financial statements onto accountant Donald Bender. Today, Trump’s lawyers intensively cross-examined Bender, who had worked on the statements for several years.
Bender maintained that he consistently asked Trump Organization executives for all the necessary documents but sometimes did not receive them. He mentioned that he only became aware of certain missing appraisals when questioned by Manhattan prosecutors during their investigation into Trump’s business practices.
During the cross-examination, defense lawyer Jesus M. Suarez questioned why Bender did not notice the absence of the appraisals sooner.
“I asked them for appraisals,” replied Bender. “They represented they gave me everything I needed.”
Responding to Bender’s claim that he had a “specific memory” of requesting appraisals from a Trump associate, defense lawyer Clifford Robert pointed out that Bender had frequently responded to other questions by saying he did not remember.
“You don’t recall texts, you don’t recall emails, you don’t recall phone calls,” Robert said. He suggested that the accountant might be concerned that his testimony could lead to trouble with accounting regulators or law enforcement authorities.
Bender’s testimony concluded around noon, after which Trump Organization Controller Jeffrey McConney was called to the stand.
The trial, which does not have a jury, involves allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and falsifying business records. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump conducting business in New York.
Prior to the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled on some other claims, finding that Trump had indeed committed fraud by inflating the value of his assets in the financial statements.
The ruling, which Trump has appealed, requires the dissolution of the limited liability companies that control Trump Tower and other prominent properties. It also stipulates that a receiver should take over the management of these properties, stripping Trump of authority in key decision-making processes.
In a recent order, Engoron directed both parties to submit potential receivers’ names by October 26. Additionally, Trump and the other defendants have been given seven days to provide a list of all entities affected by the ruling. This list will be reviewed by retired federal Judge Barbara Jones, appointed by the court as a monitor.
To prevent any attempts to circumvent his ruling, Engoron instructed the defendants to notify Jones in advance of any applications for new business licenses in any jurisdiction or any efforts to create new entities that would “hold or acquire the assets” of a dissolved company.
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