A prominent New York City real estate lawyer has reportedly prompted the state of New York to investigate Judge Arthur Engoron after claiming to have given the judge unsolicited advice.
Engoron ordered former President Donald Trump in March to pay a $454 million judgment after 30 lenders turned him away.
Trump, who frequently referred to Engoron as ‘crazed’ and ‘corrupt,’ posted $175 million in bond before a deadline to avoid asset seizure as he appeals the ruling.
Adam Leitman Bailey, a New York real estate attorney, said at the time of the ruling in public that he spoke to Judge Engoron three weeks before the ruling and told him to ‘get it right.’ A spokesman for Engoron denied the story and said he was ‘wholly uninfluenced’ by Bailey.
However, The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct reportedly is looking into whether he violated any rules, according to NBC New York.
Bailey claimed that Engoron ‘had a lot of questions, you know, about certain cases’ when they spoke.
Engoron has vehemently denied any impropriety.
The investigation could take anywhere from months to over a year.
Trump posted a $175 million bond in April in his New York civil fraud case, halting collection of the more than $454 million he owes.
