Trump's New York Civil Fraud Trial Begins As Four Criminal Trials Loom

Former President Donald Trump appeared in court on Monday for the start of his civil fraud trial in New York. In this case, he and his company are accused of deceiving banks, insurers, and others by misstating his wealth for years in financial statements.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York to hide his $130,000 hush money payment to paramour Stormy Daniels in 2026. I Photo: Cécile Lecaux Wikimedia Commons

The judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, resolved the lawsuit's primary claim before the trial began.

He ruled that Trump routinely deceived banks, insurers, and others by exaggerating the value of assets on paperwork used in making deals and securing loans. Engoron will decide on the six remaining claims in New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit, including allegations of conspiracy, falsifying business records, and insurance fraud.

Special counsel Jack Smith is prosecuting Trump in the classified documents case, as well as in the concealment of more documents in collusion with his aides and lawyers. Each of the 40 charges could result in a 20-year prison sentence.

Smith's second case against Trump led to an indictment in August on felony charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election before his supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York to hide his $130,000 hush money payment to paramour Stormy Daniels in 2026. Each count is punishable by up to four years in prison.

Trump is charged alongside 18 other people, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, with violating Georgia's anti-racketeering law by scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

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