New York Attorney General Letitia James consistently comes out on top and wins important legal victories against Trump and the NRA

While former President Donald Trump faces multimillion-dollar interest penalties for failing to pay a judgment of greater than $450 million, New York Attorney General Letitia James is scoring significant victories in court.

James, a Black woman who led the effort to punish Trump for his alleged crimes, won a criminal victory in a civil fraud case this month after a judge last yr found that he and his company had fraudulently inflated their net price and assets. than ten years ago to acquire loans and insurance.

James’ second court victory against a robust gun rights group boosted her popularity for winning high-profile cases by which wealthy figures are held accountable for alleged criminal acts. It’s unclear what her specific political ambitions are, but these victories could potentially influence her political future. She had a brief run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022, but decided to focus on her re-election campaign for attorney general.

New York State Supreme Court First District Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay a complete of greater than $450 million, or $363.8 million in so-called acquittal interest, in keeping with a press release from the New York Attorney General’s office.

In addition to the payment, a few of the other penalties included Trump being banned from operating any business in New York for 3 years, in addition to being banned from applying for loans from any New York bank for 3 years.

On Monday, Trump’s lawyers formally announced that they’re appealing a civil fraud verdict against him and his organization, saying they need to seek out out whether the judge “violated the law” or “abused his discretion,” NBC News reports.

On Wednesday, February 29, appeals court judge Anil Singh denied Trump’s request to publish only the $100 million total judgment in the appeal. As it stands, Trump faces interest penalties of nearly $112,000 per day until the full appeal bond is posted or judgment is issued, CNBC reports.

Trump has long been viciously attacking James and one other Black woman in an try to hold him accountable for allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. However, Trump’s legal team faced challenges from Willis to dismiss the case and disqualify Willis as a result of her romantic ties to a different lawyer prosecuting Trump, which opposing lawyers say constitutes a conflict of interest.

Following the verdict in the New York civil fraud case, the Trump campaign said in a written statement: “The criminal justice system in New York State and across America is under attack by biased, defrauded and partisan judges and prosecutors. Racist, corrupt AG Tish James has been obsessive about “Getting Trump” for years and used crooked New York State Judge Engoron to acquire an illegal, un-American verdict against me, my family and my huge business.

James recently won a big case against the National Rifle Association and its former CEO Wayne LaPierre. A press release issued by her office said the jury in the case against the NRA and three current and former senior leaders found the defendants chargeable for violating the law and for “financial misconduct and corruption.”

Jurors concluded that LaPierre abused his position for his own gain and gave lucrative contracts to friends and relatives. LaPierre was ordered to pay $4.35 million. One of the other defendants, Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former treasurer and chief financial officer of the NRA, was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution, in keeping with NBC News.

“My office won a resounding victory in the case against the NRA and its senior management for years of corruption and greed” – James he wrote on X. “Wayne LaPierre and an NRA senior executive must pay $6.35 million for abusing the system and violating our rights.”

Following the verdict, the NRA posted an announcement on its website: “The jury’s verdict in a high-profile New York trial confirms what the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) has maintained all along – that it was the victim of certain former salespeople and ‘insiders who abused their trust. that the Association has given them.”

Meanwhile, James was elected attorney general of New York in 2018, becoming the first Black woman elected to statewide office, the first Black attorney general of New York, and the first woman elected to that position.

During her short-lived Democratic gubernatorial campaign, James highlighted her record as attorney general, mentioning that she had sued the Trump Organization 76 times.