According to The New York Post, during the trial of the New York attorney general’s $250 million civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump, questions arose about the purported value of Ivanka Trump’s Park Avenue penthouse. Donald Bender, a former accountant for Donald Trump at Mazars USA, testified that he noticed discrepancies between the value listed for Ivanka’s penthouse on financial documents and its potential sale price.
Bender testified in Manhattan Supreme Court that, although he was not responsible for auditing the company’s financials, he occasionally informed Trump Organization officials about discrepancies in the company’s financial documents. He mentioned one specific instance when he pointed out a difference in the valuation of Ivanka’s penthouse between financial documents and its purchase option price.
The New York attorney general’s lawsuit against Donald Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization alleges that they exaggerated Trump’s net worth from 2011 to 2021 to secure more favorable loan and insurance terms. The lawsuit claims that Ivanka’s Park Avenue apartment was valued at $20.8 million on financial statements in 2011 and 2012, despite a purchase option of $8.5 million in her lease agreement.
Ivanka Trump was initially a defendant in the lawsuit but was dismissed from it in June by an appeals court ruling. However, she and the other Trump family members listed in the case could be called as witnesses during the trial.
The trial, which began in October, is expected to continue until late December and is being decided by Justice Arthur Engoron without a jury. Donald Trump has characterized the case as a sham and has attended the trial alongside his legal team.
