A New York judge has found Donald Trump in civil contempt for failing to cooperate with a subpoena for papers as part of the state’s probe into the former President’s corporation.

Judge Arthur Engoron stated that Trump failed to comply with his order to comply with the subpoena, and that his counsel failed to disclose how a search of Trump’s materials was done. Trump will be penalised $10,000 per day until he complies, according to Engoron.

Also read: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tests limits of his combative style in Disney feud

“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 per day until you purge that contempt,” Engoron stated this during a hearing on Monday.

The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating the Trump Organization for more than two years, and she previously stated that her office discovered numerous misleading or fraudulent misstatements and omissions in the Trump Organization’s financial statements, which were provided to lenders and insurers, among others, as part of its investigation.

The attorney general’s office’s Andrew Amer stated that Trump has failed to submit “even a single responsive document” in response to a subpoena sent to him in December.

Also read: Kim Jong Un, Moon Jae-in exchange personal letters in sign of ‘deep trust’

“We are being hampered in our efforts to have a complete understanding because we don’t have evidence from the person who sits at the top of the organization,” Amer said.

The attorney general’s office’s Kevin Wallace said it’s been “like pulling teeth” in some cases to obtain records needed for the probe, and he described the Trump Organization as a closely-held family business with 500 organisations and millions of dollars going around.

According to Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, the former president does not believe he is above the law, but simply does not have the types of written conversations demanded by the subpoena, despite the fact that he supplied hundreds of thousands of papers through his subordinates. Habba stated that she personally searched Trump’s heard copied calendars and physical file locations, and that she even questioned Trump in Florida.

“President Trump does not email. He does not text message. And he has no work computer at home or anywhere else,” Habba said.

Also read: Watch: Giuliani’s unmasking prompts judge to walk out of ‘The Masked Singer’

“I took it upon myself to get on a plane and flew down and asked him one by one if there was anything that he had on his person that he had not given me I would need that. And he did not,” she said.

The court questioned Trump’s refusal to sign an affidavit certifying that he complied with the subpoena. Habba stated that he would do so.

“My client is an honest person, much to the dismay of certain people in this room,” Habba said.

In court filings, James’ agency stated that the Trump Organization is being investigated for engaging in false or misleading activity in connection with assessments and financial statements. The office has subpoenaed papers pertaining to the probe from both the former president and his company.

Also read: US President Joe Biden likely to announce new military aid for Ukraine

Habba argued that the attorney general’s investigation has “seemingly become aimless,” noting that the Trump Organization has been served with six separate subpoenas, produced more than 6 million pages of documents, and 13 Trump Organization witnesses have been deposed since it began three years ago.

“The scope is continuously changing to fit the attorney general’s needs,” Habba said in court. “When it is not satisfied with the evidence it has obtained it pivots and looks for something new.”