Judge Arthur Engoron ruled on some other claims before the trial, finding that Trump did engage in fraud by inflating his assets’ worth on the statements. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York. The non-jury trial concerns allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. “They represented they gave me everything I needed.”ĭefense attorneys also went after Bender for replying to dozens of questions, over his days of testimony, by saying he didn’t remember. “I asked them for appraisals,” Bender said. Suarez asked why Bender didn’t notice the appraisals’ absence earlier. He said he learned about some missing appraisals only when Manhattan prosecutors questioned him during their investigation into Trump’s business practices.ĭefense lawyer Jesus M. The defense tried to show that if there were problems with the financial statements, the flubs were accountant Donald Bender’s fault.īender, who prepared the statements for years, insisted Thursday that he asked Trump Organization executives for all required documents but didn’t always get them. James’ legal team sought to demonstrate that Trump and his company had complete control over the preparation of the statements, with the outside accountants relying on information the Trump Organization provided. McConney took the stand at the current civil trial after days of testimony from two accountants who worked on the financial statements. Trump himself wasn’t charged in that case. He was granted immunity to testify for the prosecution in the trial, which ended in the company’s conviction. ![]() At the company’s criminal tax fraud trial last year, McConney admitted breaking the law to help fellow executives avoid taxes on company-paid perks, including by filing false tax returns and failing to report the benefits to tax authorities. McConney worked at the Trump Organization from 1987 until this past February and had deep knowledge of the company’s transactions. James, however, has said the statements were the crux of “persistent and repeated fraud.” He described the documents as “a fairly good compilation of properties,” rather than a true representation of their value, and said some numbers were “guesstimates.” Trump said in pretrial testimony that he never felt the financial statements “would be taken very seriously.” People who did business with him were given ample warning not to trust them, he said. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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