Trump’s explosive trial: fraud accusations, furious defense, and shocking testimonies!

The New York Prosecutor vs. Donald Trump. The former president is ready to enter the Manhattan courtroom for the second time. This is for the first hearing of the trial that sees him and two of his sons charged with bank and insurance fraud. In September 2022, Attorney General Letitia James accused the tycoon, Donald Jr., and Eric of inflating the assets of the Trump Organization for decades to obtain more favorable financing. She sought a penalty of $250 million.

The fraud accusation

A few days ago, the judge who will preside over the trial, Arthur Engoron, ruled that “the evidence clearly shows that the three defendants are responsible for fraud.” The fraud was committed by providing “false financial information” and inflating their holding’s income to $3.6 billion. A verdict that, of course, infuriated Trump, who accused the judge of “hating him even more than Attorney James” on his social media platform, Truth.

Trump’s defense

The former president has consistently asserted that the Trump Organization is a formidable and reputable company. He believes it has been unjustly maligned and tarnished by what he characterizes as a relentless and politically motivated witch hunt. Trump contends that the organization’s stature and integrity have been unfairly impugned, and he remains resolute in his defense against the allegations brought forth during this protracted legal battle.

Trial begins today

The fact remains that the trial begins today, and Trump is expected to attend the first day, if not the entire week, according to informed sources.

During a campaign event in California on Friday, he did not want to reveal anything specific and, when asked if he would appear in court, he simply replied, “I might, I might.” If not on the first day, the former president could return to court as a witness. His name is indeed on the list of 28 people that James intends to summon to the stand.

Among them are Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, a key figure in the investigation conducted by the New York Prosecutor, his daughter Ivanka, co-defendants Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. Many former managers of the Trump Organization are also included.

The first to testify will be former accountant Donald Bender

The first to testify will be former accountant Donald Bender from Mazars USA. He terminated his business relationship with Trump last year after being informed of the status of James’ investigation. Bender had already testified in the 2022 criminal trial of the Trump Organization. The organization was accused and subsequently found guilty of aiding some executives in tax evasion. On that occasion, the former accountant had stated that between 2009 and 2010, the tycoon’s tax returns showed substantial losses of over one billion dollars.