Former President Donald Trump and his adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have defended the value of former President Mar-a-Lago following a New York court ruling that three Trump family members were involved in fraud. .
Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in a ruling on Tuesday that Trump and his sons, along with the Trump Organization and several other business entities tied to the former president, had repeatedly exaggerated Trump’s Trump committed fraud by increasing the value of many of his real estate assets. Ngoren’s ruling partially granted a summary judgment motion filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a $250 million lawsuit against Trump and his businesses.
The list of properties included in Ngoren’s ruling includes the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and the Trump Park Avenue residential towers in New York City. The judge said Trump consistently overstated the properties on his financial statements, including at one point inflating Mar-a-Lago’s actual value by at least 2,300%.
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Eric Trump denounced N’Golon’s ruling on social media, arguing that the judge’s valuation of Mar-a-Lago was far from what the estate is actually worth.
“In an effort to destroy my father and kick him out of New York, a judge just ruled that Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida is only worth approx. [sic] “$18 million”… Mar-a-Lago is supposedly worth our investment [sic] At over a billion dollars, it is arguably the most valuable residential property in the country.It’s all so corrupt and coordinated,” Eric Trump release To X, formerly Twitter.
Engoron’s decision was based on Palm Beach County assessor’s assessments of the oceanfront estate between 2011 and 2021, during which time Mar-a-Lago was valued between $18 million and $27.6 million.
in another postalEric Trump shared an unconfirmed photo of a Palm Beach home for sale, with prices ranging from $38.9 million to $59.9 million. He also claims the listed home is “about 1/30 the size of Mar-a-Lago and is not on the beach (let alone the beach and ribs) [sic]), do not cross it once [sic] One side of Palm Beach Island versus the other…it’s a travesty of justice and an embarrassment to the court. “
In a statement shared with Truth Social, the former president dismissed Tuesday’s ruling, calling it part of an “aggressive attack” to hamper his 2024 reelection bid. He also described Ngolon as a “highly politicized Democratic judge who refused to allow the case to be transferred to the commercial branch where this case falls.”
“For example, the Democratic operative valued Mar-a-Lago, the most spectacular and valuable property in Palm Beach, Florida, at as low as $18 million, when in fact it was worth almost 100 times that amount,” former the president added.
The former president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also mocked Engoron’s valuation of Mar-a-Lago on X, writing in one post, “If Mar-a-Lago were worth $18 million… I’ll just take $10”! ! ! “
“If my dad tried to claim that property was worth $18 million, he could be charged with trying to underpay real estate taxes!” Donald Trump Jr. continues in separate postal. “They’ve set up the game so it’s always lose/lose in these blue states. If you don’t follow their narrative, they’re going to target you.”
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said Trump has repeatedly maintained his innocence on the charges against James. Weekly newspaper In a statement late Tuesday, the former president’s defense team planned to “immediately appeal” the “flawed” decision. The remainder of the lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial Monday.
Weekly newspaper James’ office was contacted via email for comment.
