While the penalty was light ― a $4,000 fine, the maximum ― the conviction illustrated the flawed delaying tactics used by the family company of former President Donald Trump, the newspaper noted. (In a public ruling in April, Trump himself was cited for contempt for responding inadequately to subpoenas involving his business practices.)
The one-day 2021 trial, in which prosecutors asserted the organization “willfully disobeyed” orders for records, was kept private because the subpoenas were issued by a grand jury whose work is secret, the Times reported. The order to pay the contempt fine was unsealed last week.
Trump’s office did not immediately reply to a HuffPost request for comment on the contempt ruling.