TRENTON -- The Atlantic City casinos once owned by Donald Trump owed nearly $30 million in overdue taxes to New Jersey in the mid-2000s but ended up paying only $5 million in a settlement with the state after Gov. Chris Christie took office, according to a report by The New York Times.

The newspaper reported Tuesday night that it uncovered the deal while reviewing thousands of documents related to the five bankruptcies filed by the casino company founded by Trump, now the Republican nominee for president.

But, the Times noted, the public records do not paint a clear picture of how the agreement was reached, or whether Christie -- a longtime friend and now a close adviser to Trump -- was even involved.

Trump's company owned up to four casinos in Atlantic City from 1984 to 2009, when he left the business amid its fifth bankruptcy filing.

New Jersey's auditors and lawyers had been fighting for several years over back taxes from the company when Christie took office in 2010, the report said. The state had even accused Trump's company of filing false reports with state casino regulators about the amount of taxes it had paid, according to the report.

But after six years in court, the state agreed to accept $5 million in December 2011 -- about 17 cents on the dollar of what was owed, including fees and interest, the report said.

The Times noted that tax authorities sometimes settle for smaller amounts to avoid further litigation but quoted legal experts who said this deal raises questions.

The newspaper said the debt was the result of the company failing to pay taxes from 2002 through 2006. Trump was the company's chairman during that time and its chief executive until 2005.

He reaped millions of dollar in fees and bonuses from the company at the time, eve though his casinos underperformed competitors, lost money every years, and saw its stock collapse, the Times reported.

The newspaper said Trump's campaign did not respond to questions related to the settlement.

A spokeswoman for the campaign did not immediately return a message left early Wednesday morning by NJ Advance Media.

The Times also reported that Brian Murray, a spokesman for Christie, said the governor was not aware of the tax dispute and thus could not comment. (Read Murray's statement to NJ Advance Media here.)

Jon Whiten, vice president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank, criticized the deal in a statement Wednesday.

"Most of us New Jerseyans will never have the luxury of having nearly all of our tax debts to the state wiped clean," Whiten said. "The fact that Trump's casinos were able to game the bankruptcy system to avoid paying their fair share of New Jersey taxes, while at the same time enriching those who led them to financial disaster in the first place, is the latest proof that the economy is rigged against ordinary working people."

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.