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Former President Donald Trump did something unusual for him on Monday: He attended the beginning of one of his own trials.

The civil case, brought by the New York state attorney general, accuses Mr. Trump of greatly exaggerating his net worth to get better terms on bank loans.

Unlike the criminal trials the former president will face next year, this trial does not bring the threat of a prison sentence. Rather, at stake here is money 鈥� possibly large sums.

On Monday, his lawyers argued that Mr. Trump鈥檚 actions cited in the suit constituted typical real estate practice.

鈥淭here is no crime. The crime is against me,鈥� Mr. Trump told reporters outside the courtroom.

The judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that Mr. Trump and his business organization committed fraud on a broad scale. Trump businesses claimed that the former president鈥檚 Trump Tower residence was 30,000 square feet, almost triple its actual size, according to Judge Engoron. They listed rent-stabilized apartments at market rates and inflated the price of Trump golf club memberships.

Reportedly, Mr. Trump鈥檚 lawyers did not request a jury trial, meaning the ruling is in Mr. Engoron鈥檚 hands. The trial beginning this week will set penalties. If the judge鈥檚 ruling withstands appeals, Mr. Trump could lose control over many of his signature New York properties, and he may have to pay a fine of upward of $250 million.

It鈥檚 unclear what political effect a ruling might have in today鈥檚 polarized landscape. But the trial represents a challenge to a core part of the former president鈥檚 identity: his brand as a successful real estate tycoon.