Eric Trump had a “very high” pile of unsigned checks that sat on his desk under the Trump Organization’s since-updated bookkeeping system, a company executive reportedly testified.
Mark Hawthorn described a 2021 encounter with the former president's son during the $250 million civil fraud trial against Donald Trump and his two sons on Monday. They have already been found liable of defrauding lenders by inflating the value of Trump Organization assets.
ABC News reports Hawthorn had been invited to Eric’s office to help with Trump Organization finances after co-defendant and former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg’s ouster, he testified.
"He had a stack of checks [on his desk] to sign that was very high," Hawthorn, who runs the company’s hotel branch, told the court.
When Eric asked, "How do you do this in the hotel division?" Hawthorn replied, according to reports of his testimony, "We don't do it like this."
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The chief accounting officer described Weisselberg’s bookkeeping methods as antiquated and inefficient and testified he’s since worked to update Trump Organization methods to replicate those that were used in the hotel division, according to ABC News.
Hawthorn also testified Monday that the Trump Organization no longer produces the financial condition statements at the heart of Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit.
James contends Trump Organization assets were inflated to defraud lenders and investors, which the Trumps deny.
Judge Arthur Engoron found has already found Trump and his associates liable for fraud in a summary judgment. The ongoing trial in New York is largely to decide damages.
