Republican former President Donald Trump on Monday posted a $175 million bond after his conviction in New York for defrauding his company in a civil trial, averting threatened conservative seizures of his assets by state authorities that could potentially even lead to the collapse of his real estate group.

The 77-year-old tycoon, who will face Democratic successor Joe Biden in the November 5 presidential election, was found guilty on February 16 of fraud, specifically of artificially inflating the value of his real estate by billions of dollars to secure more favorable lending and insurance terms .

Mr. Trump was initially asked to post $454 million in bail. But an appeals court decided on March 25 to suspend the enforcement of Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision, on the condition that the businessman would pay the lesser amount within ten days.

A three-judge appeals court is pending to hear an appeal by Mr. Trump on the merits of the case; the reduction in the amount of bail he was ordered to pay does not indicate anything about the outcome of the appeal, that is, what the appeals decision will be.

Posting bail, however, prevents New York prosecutors from seeking to seize assets of the former president, including Trump Tower in New York, his golf course and resort in Westchester, or his residence in Mar-a- Lagos, Florida.

Donald Trump rejects the charges and calls his trial a political “witch hunt” starring federal prosecutor Leticia James, a Democrat who prosecuted him in 2022.

The tycoon, who made his fortune in real estate before upending the American political scene and calling into question the very nature of democracy in the United States, calls the decision against him a “fraud” and has repeatedly lashed out publicly at District Attorney James and Judge Engoron.

Mr. Trump faces four more criminal trials, including one again in New York, which is expected to begin around April 15. This case is about fraud for the purpose of paying money to buy the silence of a porn star before the 2016 election.

He also faces two trials over his attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, when he was defeated by Biden’s successor, and another over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.

He pleads not guilty to all four charges.