Trump fraud trial adjourns, all eyes now on Judge Engoron

The New York civil business fraud trial of former President Donald Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization is over.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron adjourned Thursday after more than five hours of closing arguments.

Now Engoron will consider whether to grant the attorney general's request to fine Trump $370 million, ban him from the state's real estate industry for life and bar him from serving as the officer or director of a New York corporation.

New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and the other defendants of scheming to falsely inflate the stated values of more than a dozen real estate assets listed on his annual statements of financial condition to reap "hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains" from better loan terms.

The attorney general also asked that Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, each be banned from the state's real estate industry for five years.

Trump, currently the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has denied any wrongdoing in the case, and claimed throughout that he was the victim of a politically motivated persecution by James, a Democrat.

The trial, which did not have a jury, spanned 44 days.

Engoron is expected to issue his verdict in the case in the coming weeks.

Donald Trump's civil business fraud trial, which began Oct. 2 of last year, has officially come to a close.

"It's up to me now," Judge Arthur Engoron said before adjourning the court.

Engoron said he will try to deliver his final ruling by Jan. 31.

But there is "no guarantee," he added.

— Kevin Breuninger

A brief submitted by the attorney general before closing arguments "did not show much evidence" that Trump's two adult sons and co-defendants knew there