Ruling confirms Trump used fraud to hype property values

After months in which indictments in four successive criminal cases against Donald Trump raised the stunning, if distant, prospect that a former U.S. president could be put behind bars, it was the seemingly less momentous civil case in New York that this week generated the most tangible consequences so far: A dramatic fraud ruling that, if it survives appeal, could strip Trump of a chunk of the business empire that not only made his fortune but provided him with his very identity.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, having previously made a preliminary finding that Trump, his sons and some Trump Organization executives “had a propensity to engage in persistent fraud by submitting false and misleading Statements of Financial Condition,” granted a partial summary judgment in favor of the state of New York. “Even with a preliminary injunction in place,” his lacerating opinion noted, “and with an independent monitor overseeing their compliance, defendants have continued to disseminate false and misleading information while conducting business.”