The Steady Drip: AG James Plans Appeal of Trump's Tossed $527M Penalty (Connecting the Dots: New York Attorney General Letitia James, The Committee for Economic, Development Judge Arthur Engoron, Lisa Cook, The Federal Reserve & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Lisa Cook

Official portrait, 2022

AG James Plans Appeal of Trump's Tossed $527M Penalty (Connecting the Dots: New York Attorney General Letitia James, The Committee for Economic, Development Judge Arthur Engoron, Lisa Cook, The Federal Reserve & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

By Mark Swanson | Thursday, 21 August 2025 01:37 PM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/us/letitia-james-appeal-court-ruling/2025/08/21/id/1223421/

New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to appeal a court ruling that vacated President Donald Trump's $527 million fraud penalty on Thursday.

James issued a statement shortly after the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court, tossed the civil penalty against the president, calling it "excessive."

The court, which was split on the merits of the lawsuit and the lower court's fraud finding, dismissed the penalty Judge Arthur Engoron imposed in its entirety while also leaving a pathway for further appeals to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals.

"The First Department today affirmed the well-supported finding of the trial court: Donald Trump, his company, and two of his children are liable for fraud," James said in a statement. "The court upheld the injunctive relief we won, limiting Donald Trump and the Trump Organization officers' ability to do business in New York. It should not be lost to history: yet another court has ruled that the president violated the law, and that our case has merit.

"We will seek appeal to the Court of Appeals and continue to protect the rights and interests of New Yorkers," her statement concluded.

After finding Trump engaged in fraud by flagrantly padding financial statements that went to lenders and insurers, Engoron ordered him last year to pay $355 million in penalties. With interest, Trump's total penalty has climbed to more than $515 million. When combined with penalties against other Trump Organization executives, the sum now exceeds $527 million.

The appeals court, the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, took an unusually long time to rule, weighing Trump's appeal for nearly 11 months after oral arguments last fall. Normally, appeals are decided in a matter of weeks or a few months.

Trump denied wrongdoing. In a six-minute summation of sorts after a monthslong trial, Trump proclaimed in January 2024 that he was "an innocent man" and the case was a "fraud on me." He has repeatedly maintained that the case and verdict were political moves by James and Engoron, who are both Democrats.

Trump Says Fed's Cook 'Must Resign,' but Firing Possible for Alleged Mortgage Fraud

Newsmax.com

By Eric Mack | Wednesday, 20 August 2025 12:22 PM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/mortgage-fraud-democrats-investigation/2025/08/20/id/1223214/

President Donald Trump is taking aim at another member of the Federal Reserve board, demanding the resignation of Biden-appointee Lisa Cook over allegations she committed mortgage fraud.

Connecting the Dots:

Judge Arthur Engoron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Engoron

He received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1972.

Arthur F. Engoron is an American judge serving on the New York Supreme Court since 2013. He presided over the New York civil investigation of the Trump Organization in 2024 and received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University.

Lee C. Bollinger was the president of Columbia University and is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

George E. Rupp was the president of Columbia University and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development, the Attorney General of New York and received her MPA at Columbia University.

Letitia James

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_James

earned a Master of Public Administration degree in 2013 from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), located in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan.[15] She later served as Columbia University's William S. Beinecke Visiting Professor of Public Policy in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Roger W. Ferguson Jr. is a co-chairman for the Committee for Economic Development and was the vice chairman for the Federal Reserve Board.

Lisa Cook is a member of the Federal Reserve Board and a board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Gregory Q. Brown is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Charles L. Evans is the president & CEO for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

William C. Foote is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Terry Mazany is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Frederick H. Waddell is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Anthony K. Anderson was a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

John A. Canning Jr. was the chairman for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Silas Keehn was the president for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Michael H. Moskow was the president & CEO for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Thomas J. Wilson was a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Valerie B. Jarrett was a board member for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Carl T. Camden is a director, Detroit branch for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Jeffrey A. Joerres is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Lee C. Bollinger is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the chairman for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

William J. McDonough is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the president & CEO for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Peter G. Peterson is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the chairman for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

John E. Sexton is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, was the chairman for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the chair Council of Chairs for the Federal Reserve System.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development, the Attorney General of New York and received her MPA at Columbia University.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Thomas P. Gerrity is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was a director at Fannie Mae.

Kenneth M. Duberstein was a VP for the Committee for Economic Development and a director at Fannie Mae.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

Richard H. Davis is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the president of the Homeownership Alliance.

Homeownership Alliance is an advocacy group for Fannie Mae, an advocacy group for Freddie Mac and a trade groups organization.

Franklin D. Raines was the CEO for Fannie Mae and a mortgage recipient from the Countrywide Financial Corporation.

James A. Johnson received five real-estate loans from the Countrywide Financial Corporation, a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the chairman for Fannie Mae.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development, the Attorney General of New York and received her MPA at Columbia University.

Mahmood Mamdani is a Ugandan academic, author, and political commentator and The Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a professor of anthropology, political science and African studies at Columbia University and Zohran Mamdani’s father.

Zohran Mamdani is Mahmood Mamdani’s son, co-founded the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was founded at the University of California, Berkeley.

Lisa Cook earned a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, is a member of the Federal Reserve Board and a board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Lisa D. Cook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_D._Cook#Early_life_and_education

Early life and education

Cook earned a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997 under the guidance of Barry Eichengreen and David Romer.

David H. Romer is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Richard C. Blum was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a regent at the University of California, married to Senator Dianne Feinstein and a board member for the Haas School of Business.

University of California, Berkeley is a University of California campus.

Haas School of Business is a business school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was founded at the University of California, Berkeley.

Zohran Mamdani attended Bowdoin College in Maine, where he co-founded the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City in the 2025 election and is Mahmood Mamdani’s son.

Mahmood Mamdani is Zohran Mamdani’s father, a Ugandan academic, author, and political commentator. The Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a professor of anthropology, political science and African studies at Columbia University.