A letter with white powder was sent to the Manhattan chambers of Arthur Engoron, the judge in Donald Trump's $464 million-dollar civil fraud judgment, on Wednesday, the same day the former president's attorneys filed a 1,800-page motion to stay the ruling, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Judge Arthur Engoron's mail is all pre-screened daily, so he never came into contact with the letter. The source says it was addressed to him at 60 Centre Street in a standard business-sized envelope.
Two court staffers were exposed to the powder, according to the source, but did not immediately appear to have been harmed by their exposure. There was also a letter to the judge in the envelope, the source said.
The building did not have to be evacuated, and the powder was deemed to be safe.
Separately, New York State Police said they were investigating an envelope of white powder that was sent to 1 Empire State Plaza in Albany, where New York Attorney General Letitia James has an office.
State Police declined to say if it was sent to James, who brought the case against Trump, though two senior law enforcement officials said her office received a letter. The AG's office confirmed they had received a letter containing white powder on Tuesday, but did not state to whom it was addressed.
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No exposed individuals have reported symptoms, New York State Police say. They sent the substance to a lab for testing.
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Trump's attorneys have called the prosecution a witchhunt and Engoron's judgment "unprecedented and punitive." They filed a motion on Wednesday to stay the judgment.
The former president’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal earlier in the week asking the state’s mid-level appeals court to overturn Engoron’s Feb. 16 verdict.
Trump’s lawyers wrote in court papers that they're asking the appeals court to decide whether Engoron “committed errors of law and/or fact” and whether he abused his discretion and/or his jurisdiction.
Engoron found that Trump, his company and top executives, including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., schemed for years to deceive banks and insurers by inflating his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. Among other penalties, the judge put strict limitations on the ability of Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, to do business.
The appeal ensures that the legal fight over Trump’s business practices will persist into the thick of the presidential primary season, and likely beyond, as he tries to clinch the Republican presidential nomination in his quest to retake the White House.
If upheld, Engoron’s ruling will force Trump to give up a sizable chunk of his fortune. Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, but with interest the total has grown to nearly $464 million. That total increases by nearly $112,000 per day until he pays.
