$250 million fraud trial puts Donald Trump Jr. in the hot seat

ByGemma Iso

November 2, 2023

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, is set to take the witness stand in the ongoing $250 million fraud trial of the Trump Organization.

The $250 million fraud trial

The trial, now in its fifth week, revolves around allegations that Donald Trump and his business engaged in fraudulent practices to inflate his net worth, which, in turn, allowed them to secure better loans, and insurance deals, and bolster the image of a highly successful business empire.

Trump children as defendants

New York Attorney General Letitia James initially named the three Trump children who served as executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization—Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump—as defendants in her lawsuit. James alleged that they were “intimately involved” in the operations of the family’s business empire and were fully aware of the public’s desire to inflate their father’s net worth.

In the hot seat

In the upcoming testimony of the fraud trial, Donald Trump Jr. is expected to field questions about his role in managing his father’s revocable trust—a mechanism used to prevent potential business conflicts during Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump Jr. was responsible for certifying the accuracy of financial statements between 2016 and 2021, all of which are alleged by the attorney general to have been intentionally inflated.

Of particular interest is Trump Jr.’s involvement in the commercial leasing of 40 Wall Street, a property previously determined by Judge Arthur Engoron to have been overvalued in Trump’s financial statements by over $300 million.

Additionally, he may be quizzed on financial statements that allegedly inflated the value of rent-stabilized units in the Trump Park Avenue building by a staggering 700%, disregarding the fixed rent paid by low-income residents.

As Donald Trump Jr. prepares to take the stand, he remains critical of the trial, describing it as a “sham” conducted in a “kangaroo court.”

The trial continues to captivate the nation, as it delves deeper into the complex web of allegations surrounding the Trump Organization’s financial practices.