Former President Donald Trump owes an additional $87,502 in post-judgment interest every day until he pays the $354 million fine ordered by Judge Arthur Engoron in his civil fraud case, according to ABC News’ calculations based on the judge’s lengthy ruling in the case.
Judge Engoron on Friday fined Trump $354 million plus approximately $100 million in pre-judgment interest in the civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, after he found that Trump and his adult sons had inflated Trump’s net worth in order to get more favorable loan terms. The former president has denied all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal.
Engoron ordered Trump to pay pre-judgment interest on each ill-gotten gain – with interest accruing based on the date of each transaction – as well as a 9% post-judgment interest rate once the court enters the judgment in the case.
His lawyers have already been quitting left and right. His lead counsel in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case withdrew in January, leaving Alina Habba, who has very little trial experience, to handle the damages portion of the case. Her inexperience got her in a lot of trouble with the judge. She kept violating basic trial etiquette and trying to argue facts of the case that had already been established (remember, Trump had already been found liable and they were just supposed to be arguing the amount of harm to establish damages).