New York Attorney General Letitia James has initiated the process of seizing former President Donald Trump’s assets after a staggering civil fraud judgment exceeding $450 million. New York’s case against Trump alleged that he lied to financial institutions to obtain more favorable terms for loans.

The lawsuit is part of a broader Democratic lawfare effort to ensure the former president does not win the upcoming presidential election. Since Trump has, as yet, been unable to secure an appeal bond related to the New York ruling, James is laying the groundwork for the next phase of her attack against the former president.

The New York attorney general’s office has filed judgments in Westchester County, the first indication that the state is preparing to try to seize Donald Trump’s golf course and private estate north of Manhattan, known as Seven Springs.

State lawyers entered the judgments with the clerk’s office in Westchester County on March 6, just one week after Judge Arthur Engoron made official his $464 million decision against Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization.

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The judgment is already entered in New York city where Trump’s properties including Trump Tower, his penthouse at Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, his hotel abutting Central Park, and numerous apartment buildings are located.

Judgments have not been entered in Florida counties including Miami or Palm Beach where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property and the Trump National Doral Golf Club and resort are located or Cook County, Illinois, where Trump’s hotel in Chicago is located, according to a review of records Thursday by CNN.

In February, Trump tried to buy himself some time by staving off the financial penalties. He offered to post a $100 million appeal bond instead of the full $464 million, but the judge denied the proposal even though Trump’s lawyers indicated he could not pull together that much money before the deadline.

Engoron ruled that Trump had for years “fraudulently inflated the estate’s value—sometimes by as much as five times the appraised value—in an effort to get more favorable terms on bank loans.”

However, others pointed out that the actions Trump took are not unusual for others in his position who don’t get prosecuted and noted that the former president did not cause anyone harm. It is evident that the ruling and refusal to give Trump any leeway on the appeal bond is intended to apply more pressure on the candidate as he campaigns to win another term in office.

Jonathan Turley defends President Trump:

"There's not a single dollar lost by these 'victims'. In fact, the people that James calls the victims actually wanted to do more business with Donald Trump. They said they made a lot of money." pic.twitter.com/ac51KJfMC5

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 19, 2024

This saga is far from over. The appeals court still has to decide on the former president’s request to delay or reduce the bond amount. The next few weeks might be critical, especially as James seeks to use the state to seize Trump’s property. This case, as well as the politically motivated criminal indictments against the former president, have only boosted his numbers in the polls. However, with this many cases to manage, it is possible that they could hamper Trump’s campaign efforts.