Donald Trump ordered to pay over $350m in financial fraud case

Donald Trump, his eldest sons and associates have been ordered to pay over $350m by a New York judge who found them guilty of intentionally committing financial fraud over the course of a decade.

“The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience,” Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in his decision.

In a devastating blow for the former president who had built his reputation as a successful real estate developer, Engoron barred Trump and two other executives from serving as officers or directors of any corporation or entity in New York for three years. His sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr, were banned for two years.

The amount they said Trump had profited after lying about his net worth and receiving lower interest rates from lenders.

The ruling is a follow-up to a pre-trial judgment Engoron issued in September based on document evidence.

Engoron ruled Trump had misrepresented his net worth to lenders and ordered the cancellation of the Trump Organization’s business certificates, essentially ending its ability to continue operation in New York.

In Friday’s verdict, Engoron overturned his initial ruling, saying that “the cancellation of the business licenses is no longer necessary” as he is ordering the appointment of two court monitors to oversee “major activities that could lead to fraud”.

Donald Trump and others convicted of the crime have rejected the ruling, tainting it with a tar of politiciaati