Trump intends to appear at New York fraud hearing

Former US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will attend a court hearing in New York on Monday in a civil fraud case in which he and his Trump Organization are named as defendants.

The case is scheduled to begin on the merits on Oct. 2. “I am going to court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation against the corrupt and racist [New York State] Attorney General Letitia James,” he wrote on his Truth Social media page.

The politician added that he believes the case is trumped up, and specifically pointed out that he believes the residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida is not worth $18 million, as the court believes, but “50 or even 100 times more.”

The New York prosecutor’s office’s lawsuit against Trump and his company in a civil fraud case was filed in court in September 2022. According to the version of the state prosecutor Letitia James, the company provided incorrect information about the value of assets in order to get more favorable conditions on loans and insurance. According to the prosecutor’s office, the value of assets was overstated by $2.23 billion to $3.6 billion. In particular, as the prosecutor’s office insists, the value of Trump’s estate in Florida, his apartments in the Trump Tower skyscraper in Manhattan, several office buildings and golf courses were overstated. Trump’s defense insists the allegations are baseless and the price of the properties may have changed over time for various reasons.

Proceedings in the case are expected to conclude in December. The civil cases do not involve jail time or any restrictions on political activity.

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