Closing statements conclude in Donald Trump's N.Y. civil fraud case

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday in the New York civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump following a bomb threat at the home of Judge Arthur Engoron.

The prosecution delivered its closing arguments Thursday afternoon after Trump's defense gave theirs in the morning. Representing the office of Attorney General Laetitia James, Andrew Amer detailed the broad fraud scheme that the Trump Organization executed.

Amer described how various executives were involved but said "the buck stops" with Trump.

"He was the one responsible for the preparation and the buck stops with him," he said. "He clearly knew the statements were being used to satisfy the loan guarantees and was important to make sure net worth was high as possible."

James, after closing arguments, maintained her case was never about politics or personal vendetta and said that the trial has sufficiently shown the scale of the fraud "that personally enriched Donald Trump and his family."

"At the end of the day, the point is simple -- no matter how powerful you are, no matter how rich you are -- that no one is above the law, and the law applies to all of us, equally and fairly," James told reporters. "I trust that justice will be done, and I am confident in that.

Engoron said he plans to have a final decision by the end of January.

Trump left the courtroom after his team was finished and held a press conference at the Trump Building in New York.

As he did in court, Trump accused Attorney General Laetitia James of being politically motivated in bringing the case against him and the Trump Organization. He also expressed criticism of Engoron but said the judge's decision "may surprise some people. We'll see what happens."

His attorney Alina Habba was not as optimistic, opening the press conference by saying, "Let's remember that before I walked into court we had already lost."

Trump ended up addressing the court after being denied his request to do so on Wednesday. Engoron directed Trump to promise that he would limit his comments to the facts of the case, to which Trump said the case "goes outside just the facts."

Trump spoke for about five minutes shortly after 1 p.m. EST, calling his financial statements "perfect" and saying the case is a "political witch hunt." Moments later, he left the courtroom to begin a lunch break, telling reporters the case is a "political witch hunt the likes of which nobody has ever seen before."

"They owe me damages for what they've done," Trump said. "We're a very innocent company. What we've run is a great company. That's been proven. A very highly successful company."

Trump said he paid $300 million in taxes over a "very short period of time."

Trump's attorney Chris Kise delivered closing arguments for about two hours before wrapping up at about noon EST. Following a short break, Habba took over. Trump emerged from the courtroom during a break, telling reporters it was a "very good session."

"Our lawyers said there was absolutely nothing done wrong. These were all great loans," Trump said, referring to loans the Trump Organization received from Deutsche Bank based on fraudulent financial statements. "The bankers were extremely happy with these loans. They made a lot of money with these loans."

Trump went on to say James should be held criminally liable for investigating him based on what he said were political motivations.

"This is just an attorney general that hates Donald Trump and wanted to run for governor," he said. "She should be criminally liable for this."

In the courtroom, Habba added that James attempted to "intimidate" Trump and other executives in his organization. This includes her client Allen Weisselberg who served 99 days in jail and was fined $2 million in taxes and penalties early last year for his role in the fraud scheme.

Kise told Engoron that his decision could have an impact on other large corporations in New York. Trump echoed this summation in his comments outside the courtroom, saying James "drove Exxon out of New York," and that other companies will follow.

Trump took to Truth Social later in the evening, accusing Engoron of cutting him off in court and not allowing him to explain he was worth much more than the $4 billion shown in his "conservatively done" financial statements.

"Judge Engoron, curiously, cut Mar-a-Lago's value by a billion dollars, all the way down to $18,000,000 -- and other assets as well! -- to try and save the A.G.'s case," Trump said in his post.

Earlier Thursday, the Nassau County Police Department responded to a bomb threat at Engoron's New York home. Bomb technicians were sent to the residence but the threat was determined to be unfounded.

The threat did not stop Thursday's proceedings. Engoron and court clerk Allison Greenfield have reported receiving hundreds of threats throughout the trial.

Trump and the Trump Organization, headed by his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., face a potential $250 million penalty for committing fraud. They were found guilty in the fall of inflating the value of their real estate properties.

James has asked that Trump be fined $370 million. Kise opposed the proposal of such a fine on Thursday, telling the court, "You can't just make up a number in the sky."

Kise has also alleged that the case against Trump is politically motivated, calling it "manufactured to pursue a political agenda." Early in his argument, Kise questioned the credibility of Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, who served as a witness for the prosecution.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to eight criminal charges, including campaign finance law violations and fraud. He has said he committed those crimes at the direction of Trump when he was a presidential candidate.

"This is a serial liar," Kise said. "He admitted he lied to Congress.

The former president, who is campaigning for the Republican nomination for re-election, made a late request to deliver some of the closing arguments himself. In an email, Engoron said Trump must agree that he would limit his comments to relevant issues, refrain from personal attacks or introducing new evidence and cannot make new testimony.

These limits would comply with the gag order against Trump. Kise called the restrictions "very unfair."

On Tuesday, Kise asked that the closing arguments be delayed until Jan. 29, saying Trump's mother passed away. He later corrected that it was Trump's mother-in-law. Mary Anne McLeod Trump died on Aug. 7, 2000.

Engoron denied the request to delay the proceeding, citing the challenges of preparing the court for Trump's appearances. He added that another proceeding was moved out of the courtroom to make room for Thursday's closing arguments.

Engoron extended the deadline for a response from Trump three times before saying on Wednesday that Trump will not be testifying.

"Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow," Engoron wrote.

During his afternoon press conference on Thursday, Trump touched on some of the other court cases he is involved in, which he said are also politically motivated.