Expert Witnesses Reportedly Paid in Millions to Testify at Donald Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial

Donald Trump's New York Civil Fraud Trial is a financial nightmare as the expert witnesses have been paid a whopping amount—$900,000, to be precise—to testify in the former President's defense, The Guardian reports. The court heard an accounting expert on Friday, December 8, 2023, who reportedly took home an unbelievable amount for speaking in Trump's defense.

Eli Bartov, a New York University Stern School of Business research professor, appeared in court to testify in the $250 million civil fraud trial filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Apparently, he received approximately $877,500 for his expert testimony, charging $1,350 per hour for about 650 hours of work. 

When the professor was questioned about the money he had been paid, he said that according to the bank accounts, some came from the Trump Organization and some from (Trump's) Save America PAC. He also proclaimed there was "no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud," reports CBS News. 

So far, eleven experts have testified on behalf of the former president since early November in the fraud trial, in which the New York A.G. James has demanded $250 million in a penalty, which also includes boycotting the Trump Organization from doing any business in the United States in the future.

However, one of Trump's attorneys, Alina Habba, ranted in frustration over Judge Arthur Engoron's objections made by their team. She asked, "Why are we wasting our time if no one is listening to the words coming out of our experts' mouths?" Meanwhile, the former president's other lawyer, Chris Kise, also criticized the judge for putting a gag order on his client.

However, other expert witnesses like Michiel McCarty, chairman and chief executive at the investment bank MM Dillon & Co, also testified in Trump's defense. According to ABC News reports, he was paid about $350,000 for his testimony. McCarty acknowledged his rate was $950 per hour but admitted he worked for far less. Meanwhile, another defense of Trump in the civil fraud trial was Frederick Chin, who billed $850 per hour for 1,000 hours of work, totaling $850,000.

The total sum of Trump's trial fees adds up, conservatively, to $2.33 million, as reported by the Business Insider. Bartov has been the most expensive expert, making $22.50 per minute out of the eleven defenders. According to his testimony, banks have ignored the Republican front-runner's net worth. 

"There is no way they relied on the statements of financial condition when they made their lending decision," testified Bartov. However, one of the attorneys, Kevin Wallace, from James' team, confronted the professor, saying, "This is pure speculation from someone they hired to say whatever they want." But he took offense and said, "I am here to tell you the truth! You should be ashamed of yourself [for] talking to me like that!"

Although Trump remained silent throughout the court hearing, he spoke outside the courtroom about Bartov's testimony. "This is a disgraceful situation. Never seen anything like it." He continued, "But this expert witness, highly respected by everybody, with a resume that few people have ever seen before, said there was no fraud, there was no accounting fraud, there was nothing."

Since Trump has denied returning to the witness box and defending himself, Bartov is expected to appear on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, for cross-examination as the case concludes this week.