N.Y. Attorney General James says she would 'seize' Trump's assets if he can't pay fraud case fine

New York State Attorney General Letitia James said she would ask a judge to seize former President Donald Trump’s assets if he cannot pay the damages from his $354 million civil fraud case.

“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgement enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” Ms. James said in an interview with ABC News.

“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day,” she said Tuesday, referring to the landmark 72-story Trump Building.

A judge ruled Friday that Mr. Trump committed fraud to gain more favorable loan terms for his business, and ordered him to pay $354 million in damages and barred him from doing business in New York for three years.

Mr. Trump has said he will appeal the decision. Ms. James said she is “confident” she will win the appeal.

She said “financial frauds are not victimless crimes.”

“He engaged in this massive amount of fraud. It wasn’t just a simple mistake, a slight oversight,” she said. “The variations were wildly exaggerated and the extent of the fraud was staggering.”

"If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents,” she said.

She also rejected Mr. Trump’s argument that businesses would leave the state because of the verdict.

“Last I checked tourism is up. Wall Street is doing just fine,” she said.