An envelope containing a suspicious white powder was discovered at a Manhattan courthouse on Wednesday — addressed to the judge who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, police and court officials said.
A court officer opened the envelope just before 9:30 a.m. and found white powder spilling onto his lap, according to a police spokesperson. The powder was later deemed “non-hazardous,” and police are investigating the incident, the NYPD said.
Courts spokesperson Al Baker confirmed Justice Arthur F. Engoron was targeted.
“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.”
Engoron has faced a barrage of “threats, harassment and disparaging comments,” since he was chosen to oversee a civil trial against former President Donald Trump and his real estate company, according to court records. The lawsuit was brought by Attorney General Letitia James.
Court Officer-Captain Charles Hollon said in an affidavit last fall that the judge and his law clerk have been subjected to harassment on social media, in phone calls and in emails, including by Trump himself.
Hollon said he considered the threats to be “serious and credible.” His affidavit quoted passages from various voicemails left on the chamber’s phone, which included antisemitic comments, insults, calls for Engoron’s resignation, wishes for him to “f—ing die” and a pledge to “come for you.”
The judge’s critics also exposed Engoron’s clerk’s cellphone number and personal email address, according to Hollon. He said the clerk received about 20 to 30 calls and 30-50 messages a day.
The courts imposed gag orders to prevent threats during the civil trial, which Trump appealed, NPR reported. The former president was fined $10,000 for violating a gag order in October, after he criticized the judge during a break in the proceedings.
Ultimately Engoron ruled that Trump was…
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