Broker to Billionaires Backs Trump Valuations at Fraud Trial (1)

A Florida real estate agent who likened Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to the Taj Majal and claimed it was worth more than $1.2 billion defended the former president Tuesday at his civil fraud trial in New York.

Lawrence A. Moens, a longtime Trump friend, has hobnobbed for years with billionaires who flocked to Florida to buy property, lured in part by the lack of state income tax. His clients have included Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison, casino mogul Steve Wynn and the Citadel hedge fund owner Ken Griffin.

Lawrence Moens, left, in New York on Dec. 5.

Photographer: Frank G. Runyeon/Law360

The usually low-profile Moens, who eschews publicity, stepped ...