Trump financial watchdog informs judge of $40 million in undisclosed cash transfers

A financial watchdog in former President Donald Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial on Wednesday informed the court of about $40 million in previously unreported cash transfers.

In an letter updating Judge Arthur Engoron on her work, Barbara Jones — a retired federal judge whom Engoron appointed to monitor of financial activity at the Trump Organization — said there have been some violations, but that overall the Trump Organization continues to cooperate and is generally in compliance with the court orders.

The defendants were required to report any cash transfers amounting to more than $5 million. Jones said her team requested and conducted a review of statements for 12 bank accounts from January through October of this year, and there were three cash transfers exceeding $5 million, totaling approximately $40 million, including a transfer of $29 million to Donald Trump used for tax payments.

“We have discussed with defendants why these were not disclosed and I have now clarified (and defendants have agreed) that all transfers out of the trust exceeding $5 million must be reported,” Jones wrote.

Jones said that her team requested and reviewed financial information in connection with the sale of the Trump Organization’s license to operate Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a loan payoff for the Trump Tower in Chicago, a conservation easement tax filing for Trump National Doral Miami, and Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. (Truth Social).

Jones said relevant tax returns for six trust entities were not promptly disclosed during a reporting period that required defendants to provide the monitor with financial information reported to third parties, including select tax returns for certain trust entities. But upon her request, defendants provided the tax returns and “acknowledged that their exclusion was an oversight,” Jones wrote.

The defendants have agreed to enhanced monitoring given the matters described in this report and “have committed to ensure that all required information is promptly disclosed to the monitor,” she added.

Jones also noted her previous report in August, which found that financial disclosures were either incomplete or inconsistent. But she said she has since observed that the company has taken steps to resolve the issues subject to ongoing monitoring. In that report, Jones had detailed issues of incompleteness in some Trump Organization disclosures.

Trump’s lead attorney, Chris Kise, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The former president is set to testify in his own defense next month in his ongoing civil fraud trial, his attorneys said in court Monday. The former president will be the defense’s last witness, on Dec. 11, Kise said.

Trump and his adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., have testified in the case. Eric Trump is scheduled to testify again Dec. 6, Kise said.

The trial stems from a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office against the Trump family and the Trump Organization in connection with her yearslong civil investigation into the company’s business practices. The lawsuit alleges years of bank, tax and insurance fraud.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com