NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has stopped the clock on Donald Trump’s $10,000-a-day fine for failing to turn over documents in a state civil investigation, saying Wednesday he will lift the former president’s contempt sentence entirely if he complies. certain conditions, including paying the $110,000 in fines it has accumulated so far.
Judge Arthur Engoron said he will conditionally lift Trump’s contempt ruling if, by May 20, Trump files additional affidavits detailing efforts to search for the subpoenaed records and explaining his and his company’s document retention policies; a company he hired to assist in the search completes his work; and pay the fines.
Engoron held Trump in contempt on April 25 and fined him $10,000 a day for failing to comply with a subpoena for documents in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into his business practices, which she said has uncovered evidence that Trump may have misstated the value of assets like skyscrapers and golf courses in financial statements for more than a decade.
The total Engoron ordered Trump to pay is the amount of fines accrued through last Friday, when Trump’s attorneys produced 66 pages of court documents detailing efforts by him and his attorneys to locate the subpoenaed records. Engoron could reinstate the fine if the conditions he raised on Wednesday are not met.
Also Wednesday, a state appeals court will hear oral arguments in Trump’s appeal in another subpoena matter: Engoron’s Feb. 17 ruling requiring him to answer questions under oath in the James investigation.
A message seeking comment was left with Trump’s attorney.
James, a Democrat, asked Engoron to hold Trump in contempt of court after he failed to file any documents to meet a March 31 deadline to comply with the terms of the subpoena.
James’ office sought numerous documents, including paperwork and communications related to Trump’s financial statements, financing and debt for a hotel project in Chicago, and development plans for his Seven Springs Estate north of New York City. York, and even communications with Forbes magazine, where he sought to polish his image as a wealthy businessman.
Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said in the May 6 filing that the responses to the subpoena were complete and correct and no relevant documents or information were withheld.
Habba conducted searches of Trump’s offices and private rooms at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, according to the filing, but found no relevant documents that had not already been produced. . The filing also detailed searches of other locations, including filing cabinets and storage areas at the Trump Organization offices in New York.
In a separate affidavit included with the filing, Trump stated that there is no relevant document that has not yet been filed.
He added that he owns two cellphones: an iPhone for personal use that he sent in March to be searched as part of the subpoena, then resubmitted it in May; as well as a second phone that she recently received and is only used for posting on Truth Social, the social network he started after his ban from Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.
Engoron’s criteria for lifting the contempt ruling largely matched the conditions James’ office outlined in its response Monday to last week’s lengthy filing in which Trump and his legal team said they had exhausted efforts. to find the cited records.
Those conditions sought by James’ office were: that Trump submit another affidavit detailing his policies for the retention and destruction of documents and electronic devices, both his own and those of his company; and allowing Trump’s contracted outside firm, HaystackID, to finish reviewing 17 boxes stored at an outside storage facility, and for that company to issue a report on his findings and turn over any relevant documents.
Reference-apnews.com