Former President Donald Trump is appealing a civil fraud conviction that orders him to pay more than $450 million.
The former president’s lawyers filed papers Monday with the Intermediate Appeals Court in New York, arguing that the sentence handed down in February by Judge Arthur Engoron was “harsh, unlawful and unconstitutional.”
“Such an egregious miscarriage of justice is deeply un-American, and a complete overturning of this conviction is the only way to restore public faith in the integrity of the New York justice system,” Trump lawyer Christopher Kayes said.
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump spoke on the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Paul Sancia)
Trump’s lawyers argue that the ruling gives New York Attorney General Letitia James “unlimited power to target whoever she wants, including those she calls her political opponents.”
“We prevailed in this case based on the facts and the law, and we are confident we will prevail on appeal,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.
Judge Engoron ruled in February that Trump and the other defendants were liable for persistent and repeated fraud, falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements, conspiring to commit false financial statements, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
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Judge Arthur Engoron is presiding over the Trump Organization’s civil fraud trial in New York State Supreme Court in New York City, New York. (ERIN SCHAFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ahead of a non-jury trial in September 2023, Engoron ruled While building their real estate empire, Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud by inflating their assets and inflating their net worth in transactions and financing documents used to deceive banks, insurers and other entities.
Trump was initially fined $355 million, an amount that has grown rapidly with interest accruing at about $112,000 per day until it is paid in full, and now stands at about $470 million.
The Trump campaign has criticized Engoron’s decision as “lacking legal basis” and “unbound by law or commercial reality,” citing the unprecedented nature of the roughly $500 million fine currently being imposed and allegations that some of the charges have expired.
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Attorney General Letitia James made the remarks at a press conference following the verdict against former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud trial in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
If Trump loses his appeal, the former president could be held liable for the full $454 million, which could expose his real estate portfolio to seizure by James.
The appeals court could decide whether to uphold Engoron’s sentence, adjust his punishment or overturn his conviction.
If Trump’s appeal is unsuccessful, he could ask the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, to hear the case.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
