The judge overseeing the $370 million civil fraud trial against Donald Trump received a bomb threat at his Long Island home ahead of closing arguments Thursday morning, authorities said.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron – who is deciding the non-jury trial – received a threat at his home in Nassau County on Thursday morning, officials with the state Office of Court Administration (OCA) confirmed.
The sender of the disturbing message warned to blow up the house with fertilizer, a source with knowledge of the matter told The Post.
The threat came from outside of the US, likely over a VPN, the source said.
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The Nassau County Police Department dispatched its bomb squad as a precautionary measure because the recipient is a high-profile figure, according to the source.
The trial, which had been slated to begin at 10 a.m., went forward as planned, but with enhanced security at the lower Manhattan courthouse.
“We will add extra levels of security out of concern for Justice Engoron’s safety,” OCA spokesman Al Baker told The Post. “At this moment we expect the proceedings to go forward as planned.”
The Nassau County Police Department confirmed that cops responded to a “swatting incident” — or a bogus threat made to police to spark their dangerous response — at a Great Neck home around 5:30 a.m. before clearing the threat.
The NCPD, however, wouldn’t confirm it was the judge’s home.
Trump’s lawyers had asked Engoron to delay closings after the Tuesday passing of Amalija Knavs, the former president’s mother-in-law and wife Melania Trump’s mother.
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Engoron denied the request saying it would cause too much disruption to court staff but he offered condolences to the real estate tycoon.
Trump, 77, confirmed in a rant on Truth Social Wednesday that he would be at the lower Manhattan courthouse Thursday morning where he claimed the judge and New York Attorney General Letitia James “ARE WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER TO ‘SCREW ME.’”
Engoron on Wednesday also blocked Trump from being able to deliver closing remarks because Trump’s side wouldn’t agree to Engoron’s conditions for the unusual measure.
Engoron said that Trump would have to agree on the record to abide by the same limits that lawyers must follow — but Trump lawyer Christopher Kise said he would advise against his client agreeing to the limitations, which he claimed were unfair.
“I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY DO THE CLOSING ARGUMENT,” Trump said in the post following the judge’s denial earlier in the day. “THIS IS A RIGGED UNFAIR TRIAL.”
Additional reporting by Amanda Woods
