Judge in Trump civil fraud case receives envelope with white powder

The judge who oversaw former President Trump’s civil fraud case received an envelope with white powder Wednesday morning, prompting an emergency response to the downtown Manhattan courthouse, according to court officials.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the New York County Courthouse, where court staff opened an envelope addressed to Judge Arthur Engoron that contained a white powdery substance, court spokesperson Al Baker confirmed to The Hill. 

Authorities closed the office where the letter was opened and the affected staff were isolated until preliminary testing showed the substance was nonhazardous, Baker added. 

“Justice Engoron had no exposure to the letter or the powdery substance,” he said. “The Court remained open. The matter is under investigation by law enforcement.”

The New York Police Department confirmed its 5th Precinct responded to the incident after a 911 call came in for a suspicious powder that fell onto a court officer’s pants. Police did not confirm Engoron was the named recipient of the letter. 

Engoron was subject to multiple threats around the time of Trump’s civil fraud trial, including a bomb threat at his home in Long Island last month. Additional security was added out of an abundance of caution following the threat. 

Wednesday’s incident comes weeks after Engoron ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million — plus interest — in penalties after concluding he conspired to alter his net worth to receive tax and insurance benefits.

The total judgment against Trump, which climbs nearly $112,000 in interest each day he doesn’t pay it, now amounts to more than $454 million.

Trump appealed the fraud ruling earlier this week. 

The Hill’s Ella Lee contributed.