At the same time a judge fined him more than $350 million in his business fraud trial, Donald Trump announced he's visiting Philly for Sneaker Conin his civil business fraud trial, the former president announced that he plans on visiting Philadelphia over the weekend for a sneaker convention.It’s unclear at this point if Trump plans on holding a campaign event at the convention or if he’s merely visiting.
The announcement was made around the same time New York judge Arthur Engoron imposed a penalty of more than $350 million against Trump for what he ruled was a yearslong scheme to dupe banks and others with financial statements that inflated the former president’s wealth.
Trump spokeswoman Alina Habba said Trump would appeal the ruling. In a statement, Habba said"countless hours of testimony proved that there was no wrongdoing, no crime, and no victim."The suit accused Trump and his co-defendants of routinely puffing up his financial statements to create an illusion his properties were more valuable than they really were. State lawyers said Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion one year.
By making himself seem richer, Trump qualified for better loan terms, saved on interest and was able to complete projects he might otherwise not have finished, state lawyers said.