White Powder Sent to Judge in Trump Fraud Trial Prompts Security Scare

An envelope containing a white powder was sent to Judge Arthur Engoron, who recently imposed a $454 million judgment against former President Donald Trump, causing a brief security scare at a New York courthouse on Wednesday.

The business-sized envelope addressed to Judge Engoron never reached him, and the powder was quickly determined to be harmless in preliminary testing. However, further testing is being conducted at a lab to confirm its safety. A spokesperson for the New York Police Department confirmed that a court officer opened the envelope, causing the white powder to fall onto the officer's pants. Fortunately, there are no apparent injuries, and the incident is currently under investigation.

Legal Background

Engoron's ruling on Feb. 16 mandated that Trump and others must pay nearly half a billion dollars to New York State, consisting of $354 million in fraud proceeds plus interest. This ruling was the result of a decade-long scheme involving falsely portraying Trump's wealth and property values to banks and insurers.

Following the ruling, Trump and his co-defendants, including his company, two of his sons, and two executives, have appealed the decision. They have requested a higher New York court to consider whether Engoron “committed errors of law and/or fact, abused [his] discretion, and/or acted in excess of [his] jurisdiction.”