Donald Trump Obtains $175 Million Bond in Civil Fraud Case

Donald Trump secured a $175 million bond to guarantee his civil fraud judgment during his appeal, likely saving him from having to pay a final penalty in the case until after the presidential election.

The former president obtained the bond through Knight Specialty Insurance Company, according to a filing Monday night. He now has gotten nearly $267 million in bonds for his appeals of two civil cases, including a $92 million bond to guarantee a judgment in a civil defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The appeals court hearing the civil fraud case is unlikely to rule until later this fall, meaning any financial penalties faced by Trump, who has clinched the Republican presidential nomination, are likely to come due after November.

In February, after a monthslong trial, New York Justice Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay a $355 million judgment plus interest after finding the former president falsely valued parts of his real estate empire for his own financial gain, including to obtain low-interest loans. The judgment now stands at $454 million, with interest continuing to accrue.

Trump has denied inflating his wealth and said the attorney general’s case was politically motivated.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case against Trump, could have begun enforcing the judgment on Thursday had he failed to post the bond. James, a Democrat, could have moved to seize his assets and real estate to satisfy the amount. The bond also covers judgments against his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization, according to Monday’s filing.

Last month, a New York state appellate court reduced Trump’s bond to $175 million after his lawyers argued that the original amount—about a half-billion dollars—was virtually impossible to obtain without selling off real estate. The court also paused nonfinancial penalties that Engoron had imposed on Trump and his two eldest sons, including restrictions on obtaining loans.