Former president Donald Trump‘s civil fraud trial defense in New York is costing his Save America PAC millions, according to expert testimonies. The defense, spearheaded by top accounting and real estate experts, has been ongoing since early November.
What Happened: A total of 11 experts have been summoned by the defense, with the majority being paid handsomely for their services, Business Insider reported on Friday. The state Attorney General, Letitia James, is seeking over $250 million in penalties for alleged fraudulent activities in Trump’s annual net-worth statements.
Two of the early defense experts, developer Steve Witkoff and insurance broker Gary Giulietti, both close associates of Trump, testified without payment. However, nine other experts have testified for a charge, amassing a total of $2.33 million in defense expert fees.
The highest-paid expert among them was New York University professor Eli Bartov, an accounting specialist, who charged an hourly fee of $1,350. Bartov’s services have cost the Trump Organization and the Save America PAC at least $877,500.
Why It Matters: Among the allegations, Trump’s annual net-worth statements are said to contain billions of dollars of lies and exaggerations each year, tricking banks into providing Trump with a total of $169 million in interest breaks. The defendants in the trial include Trump, his two eldest sons, and two other Trump Organization executives.
The trial is set to continue next week, with the defense expected to rest its case following the conclusion of Bartov’s testimony. The case will then go quiet for three weeks while both sides prepare written briefs summarizing their arguments. The total cost of Trump’s fraud trial defense remains unclear.
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