Trump pays $110,000 fine for failure to cooperate with NY probe

Trump pays $110,000 fine but must do more to lift contempt order, New York AG’s office says

Former US President Donald Trump has paid a $110,000 fine for his failure to respond to a subpoena in a civil investigation into his business practices, a spokesperson for the New York attorney general said on Friday.

Trump paid the fine on Thursday but must still submit additional paperwork in order to have the contempt order lifted, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

The payment of the fine was one of three steps Trump needed to take for a judge to lift a contempt of court order issued last month for his lack of cooperation with New York’s probe.

The investigation is looking into whether the Trump Organization gave banks and tax authorities misleading financial information.

In late April, New York state Judge Arthur Engoron held Trump in contempt and fined him $10,000 per day after ruling it was not clear whether the former president had conducted a complete search for additional documents that James had requested.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to compel Trump to testify and release documents in a civil probe of his real estate business [File: Kathy Willens/AP Photo]

Engoron conditionally lifted the contempt order and the fine stopped accruing last week after Trump submitted details of his search for records. But Engoron said he would start fining Trump again if he did not pay by May 20.