A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed years of fraud while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, ruling that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his ability to make deals close and secure financing.

The decision, days before the start of a non-jury trial in state Atty. The lawsuit against Gen. Letitia James is one of the strongest repudiations yet of Trump’s carefully coiffed image as a wealthy and ripped real estate mogul turned political powerhouse.

It comes amid numerous state and federal criminal cases facing Trump as he seeks the Republican nomination for re-election in 2024.

In addition to merely bragging and exaggerating his wealth, Trump, along with his company and key executives, repeatedly lied about it in his annual financial statements, reaping rewards such as favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums, Engoron found.

The tactic crossed a line and broke the law, the judge said, rejecting Trump’s claim that a disclaimer on the financial statements would absolve him of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors in Manhattan had considered filing a criminal case over the same conduct but declined to do so, leaving James to sue Trump and seek penalties that could disrupt his and his family’s ability to do business in the state.

Engoron’s ruling, in a phase of the case known as summary judgment, resolves the main claim in the James lawsuit, but six others remain.

Engoron will preside over a non-jury trial starting next Monday

Oct. 2

before deciding on these claims and any penalties he may impose. James is seeking $250 million in fines and a ban on Trump doing business in New York, his home state. The process could last until December, Engoron said.

Trump’s lawyers had asked the judge to dismiss the case, arguing that James should not file the lawsuit because there is no evidence that the public has been harmed by Trump’s actions. They also argued that many of the allegations in the lawsuit fell outside the statute of limitations.