correct...putting pressure on that one trump loves the best...
A..G. James: No Donald, I don't think that $250 million is enough..... I want $370 million.... Trump to make closing arguments..... lolololol
- Thread starter lightbright
- Start date
That may be the ONLY thing that comes of this.
Raw Story and tweets.
I met her in 2019 at a function in ATL and she was talking that she had him dead to rights as soon as he was done. I was really disappointed in the impeachment procedure by both the Dems & Repuglicunts. Wypipo will defend white supremacy till they die. I'm losing faith that he gets convicted if he gets charged. If he beats this case, we gonna get a bad dose of MAGA 5.0, his followers will get energiezed. Just imagine Presidential pardons for all January 6th Terrorists and we all know he will pull that shit..
Isn't this similiar to what the feds went after Marylin Mosby for.. lying on federal documents??
NY AG says investigation into Trump and his business found ‘significant evidence’ suggesting fraud
A new court filing says Trump and two of his children were in charge when misleading financial statements were issued to lenders and the federal government.
New York Attorney General Letitia James disclosed new details Tuesday night about her civil investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business, saying the probe has uncovered evidence suggesting the company put fraudulent values on multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit.
James, who launched her investigation in 2019, also said in the court filing that the former president “had ultimate authority over a wide swath of conduct by the Trump Organization" that involved fraudulent misstatements to financial institutions, the IRS and other parties.
She specifically mentioned the responsibility of two of the former president’s adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump.
“Since 2017, Donald Trump, Jr. has had authority over numerous financial statements containing misleading asset valuations,” James wrote in the court filing.
Ivanka Trump, a former White House adviser, “was a primary contact for the Trump Organization’s largest lender, Deutsche Bank,” James wrote. “In connection with this work, Ms. Trump caused misleading financial statements to be submitted to Deutsche Bank and the federal government.”
James said in a statement Tuesday: “Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit. The Trumps must comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony because no one in this country can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.”
Her office added that it "has not yet reached a final decision regarding whether this evidence merits legal action."
James is conducting a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization committed fraud in reporting the value of certain properties to banks and tax authorities.
Banks and other lenders need to know the precise financial condition of loan applicants before they make loans. If a company overstates its financial condition to get a loan, making its finances seem rosier than they really are, that can be considered fraud. The filing says Trump's financial statements "were generally inflated as part of a pattern to suggest that Mr. Trump’s net worth was higher than it otherwise would have appeared."
Tuesday’s filing is in response to legal efforts by the former president to quash a series of subpoenas against him, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. James is seeking an order to compel all three to appear for sworn testimony.
The filing says there have been problems with valuations in statements that have not been explained by the Trump Organization.
In financial statements, the value of the former president’s apartment in Trump Tower in New York City was based on an assertion that the space was 30,000 square feet, when documents show that the apartment was 10,996 square feet, the attorney general’s office said.
Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg conceded in a deposition that that resulted in an overstatement of around $200 million, the filing said.
James’ office also said evidence indicates that the value of land donations in Los Angeles and Westchester County, New York, was overstated, resulting in several million dollars in deductions.
In response to the court filing, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said "the allegations are baseless and will be vigorously defended.”
Alan Futerfas, an attorney speaking on behalf of Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, responded in a statement Wednesday saying: “In 160 pages of legal briefing, the Attorney General’s Office deliberately fails to address Ms. James’s repeated threats to target the Trump family and her assertions about her criminal investigation — all which are the essence of our motion to quash the subpoenas or stay them.”
The state attorney general is assisting a separate Manhattan district attorney criminal investigation into allegations of tax fraud schemes at Trump’s company.
Because of that, lawyers for Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and their father have opposed the subpoenas from James’ office, arguing they are improper.
The state attorney general “is engaged in a criminal investigation that has an active grand jury. It cannot issue subpoenas for testimony under the guise of a civil investigation that will immediately become available” to its own criminal investigation, the Trumps’ attorneys argued in their motion to quash the subpoenas.
Attorneys for the former president did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Ronald Fischetti, an attorney for Trump, said last month: “They have been investigating this for three years. We are not concerned about it, because he has done nothing wrong.”
NY AG says investigation into Trump and his business found ‘significant evidence’ suggesting fraud (nbcnews.com)
A new court filing says Trump and two of his children were in charge when misleading financial statements were issued to lenders and the federal government.
New York Attorney General Letitia James disclosed new details Tuesday night about her civil investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business, saying the probe has uncovered evidence suggesting the company put fraudulent values on multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit.
James, who launched her investigation in 2019, also said in the court filing that the former president “had ultimate authority over a wide swath of conduct by the Trump Organization" that involved fraudulent misstatements to financial institutions, the IRS and other parties.
She specifically mentioned the responsibility of two of the former president’s adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump.
“Since 2017, Donald Trump, Jr. has had authority over numerous financial statements containing misleading asset valuations,” James wrote in the court filing.
Ivanka Trump, a former White House adviser, “was a primary contact for the Trump Organization’s largest lender, Deutsche Bank,” James wrote. “In connection with this work, Ms. Trump caused misleading financial statements to be submitted to Deutsche Bank and the federal government.”
James said in a statement Tuesday: “Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit. The Trumps must comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony because no one in this country can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.”
Her office added that it "has not yet reached a final decision regarding whether this evidence merits legal action."
James is conducting a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization committed fraud in reporting the value of certain properties to banks and tax authorities.
Banks and other lenders need to know the precise financial condition of loan applicants before they make loans. If a company overstates its financial condition to get a loan, making its finances seem rosier than they really are, that can be considered fraud. The filing says Trump's financial statements "were generally inflated as part of a pattern to suggest that Mr. Trump’s net worth was higher than it otherwise would have appeared."
Tuesday’s filing is in response to legal efforts by the former president to quash a series of subpoenas against him, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. James is seeking an order to compel all three to appear for sworn testimony.
The filing says there have been problems with valuations in statements that have not been explained by the Trump Organization.
In financial statements, the value of the former president’s apartment in Trump Tower in New York City was based on an assertion that the space was 30,000 square feet, when documents show that the apartment was 10,996 square feet, the attorney general’s office said.
Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg conceded in a deposition that that resulted in an overstatement of around $200 million, the filing said.
James’ office also said evidence indicates that the value of land donations in Los Angeles and Westchester County, New York, was overstated, resulting in several million dollars in deductions.
In response to the court filing, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said "the allegations are baseless and will be vigorously defended.”
Alan Futerfas, an attorney speaking on behalf of Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, responded in a statement Wednesday saying: “In 160 pages of legal briefing, the Attorney General’s Office deliberately fails to address Ms. James’s repeated threats to target the Trump family and her assertions about her criminal investigation — all which are the essence of our motion to quash the subpoenas or stay them.”
The state attorney general is assisting a separate Manhattan district attorney criminal investigation into allegations of tax fraud schemes at Trump’s company.
Because of that, lawyers for Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and their father have opposed the subpoenas from James’ office, arguing they are improper.
The state attorney general “is engaged in a criminal investigation that has an active grand jury. It cannot issue subpoenas for testimony under the guise of a civil investigation that will immediately become available” to its own criminal investigation, the Trumps’ attorneys argued in their motion to quash the subpoenas.
Attorneys for the former president did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Ronald Fischetti, an attorney for Trump, said last month: “They have been investigating this for three years. We are not concerned about it, because he has done nothing wrong.”
NY AG says investigation into Trump and his business found ‘significant evidence’ suggesting fraud (nbcnews.com)
STATEMENT FROM THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION
"The only one misleading the public is Letitia James, She defrauded New Yorkers by basing her entire candidacy on a promise to get Trump at all costs without having seen a shred of evidence... her allegations are baseless."
TRUMP ORG. SPOKESPERSON
.
"The only one misleading the public is Letitia James, She defrauded New Yorkers by basing her entire candidacy on a promise to get Trump at all costs without having seen a shred of evidence... her allegations are baseless."
TRUMP ORG. SPOKESPERSON
.
csi?Yup. There's more than enough to arrest this muthafucka. Shit is beyond ridiculous all the shit he was allowed to get away with.
I waited 3 hours In 2012 at a church to vote for Obama early
eat all the dicks alive Cory
All the brothers was dedicated
Let's not wish death on him that's not right.
He'd be a fool to try and run again...
EAT YOUR FUCKING HAND
Trump must testify in New York investigation, judge rules
By MICHAEL R. SISAK19 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices, a judge ruled Thursday.
Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., to comply with subpoenas issued in December by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump and his two children must sit for depositions within 21 days, Engoron said following a two-hour hearing with lawyers for the Trumps and James’ office.
“In the final analysis, a State Attorney General commences investigating a business entity, uncovers copious evidence of possible financial fraud, and wants to question, under oath, several of the entities’ principals, including its namesake. She has the clear right to do so.” Engoron wrote in his decision.
The eight-page ruling is almost certain to be appealed, but if upheld it could force the former president into a tough decision about whether to answer questions, or stay silent, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination — something he’s criticized others for doing in the past.
In a statement, Trump said, “THERE IS NO CASE!” and accused James’ office of “doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process.”
Trump called the ruling “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in history — and remember, I can’t get a fair hearing in New York because of the hatred of me by Judges and the judiciary. It is not possible.”
In a statement, James said: “No one will be permitted to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are. No one is above the law.”
James, a Democrat, said her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits.
Trump’s lawyers told Engoron that having him sit for a civil deposition now, while his company is also the subject of a parallel criminal investigation, is an improper attempt to get around a state law barring prosecutors from calling someone to testify before a criminal grand jury without giving them immunity.
CONTINUED:
Trump must testify in New York investigation, judge rules | AP News
.
By MICHAEL R. SISAK19 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices, a judge ruled Thursday.
Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., to comply with subpoenas issued in December by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump and his two children must sit for depositions within 21 days, Engoron said following a two-hour hearing with lawyers for the Trumps and James’ office.
“In the final analysis, a State Attorney General commences investigating a business entity, uncovers copious evidence of possible financial fraud, and wants to question, under oath, several of the entities’ principals, including its namesake. She has the clear right to do so.” Engoron wrote in his decision.
The eight-page ruling is almost certain to be appealed, but if upheld it could force the former president into a tough decision about whether to answer questions, or stay silent, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination — something he’s criticized others for doing in the past.
In a statement, Trump said, “THERE IS NO CASE!” and accused James’ office of “doing everything within their corrupt discretion to interfere with my business relationships, and with the political process.”
Trump called the ruling “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in history — and remember, I can’t get a fair hearing in New York because of the hatred of me by Judges and the judiciary. It is not possible.”
In a statement, James said: “No one will be permitted to stand in the way of the pursuit of justice, no matter how powerful they are. No one is above the law.”
James, a Democrat, said her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits.
Trump’s lawyers told Engoron that having him sit for a civil deposition now, while his company is also the subject of a parallel criminal investigation, is an improper attempt to get around a state law barring prosecutors from calling someone to testify before a criminal grand jury without giving them immunity.
CONTINUED:
Trump must testify in New York investigation, judge rules | AP News
.
NY attorney general fires back at Trump's defense of financial statements
Feb 16 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general on Wednesday pounced on former President Donald Trump's defense of company's financial statements, saying the five-page statement Trump issued a day earlier contradicted a court filing by his attorneys.
"It is not unusual for parties to a legal proceeding to disagree about the facts," the attorney general's office wrote in a letter filed in New York state court. "But it is truly rare for a party to publicly disagree with statements submitted by his own attorneys in a signed pleading -- let alone one day after the pleading was filed."
Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a probe into whether the Trumps inflated real estate values to obtain bank loans, and reduced values to lower tax bills.
Trump's attorneys repeatedly stated that he did not know enough to respond to allegations of inaccurate valuations. But the former president's five-page statement got into detail about possible discrepancies, implying that he had more knowledge than his lawyers said.
On Monday, the attorney general's office made public a Feb. 9 letter from Trump's longtime accountant, Mazars, which said the Trump Organization's financial statements for 2011 through 2020 should no longer be relied on and that it would no longer do work for the former president's New York-based real estate business.
On Tuesday, Trump issued a five-page statement disparaging the attorney general and other New York officials, calling the investigation a political and racist attack, claiming Mazars had essentially been forced to resign, and defending the financial statements.
"Remember when the attorney general and or District Attorney say they think my financial statements may be high, I don't even include these branding numbers in them, which is far more than any discrepancy they may have," Trump wrote.
Instead of the "sham investigation" of his business, Trump said in another part of the five-page diatribe, law enforcement and the "fake news media" should look into former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as "murderers, drug dealers and rapists."
In a court filing on Monday in response to the attorney general's allegations of misleading financial statements, Trump, through his attorneys, repeatedly denied he had knowledge or information to form a belief as to the claims.
The attorney general is seeking testimony from Trump and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, as part of her civil probe of the company's business practices.
Justice Arthur Engoron in New York state court in Manhattan will hear arguments on Thursday on whether subpoenas for the testimony should be enforced.
A separate but overlapping criminal case involving the company's business practices is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, which the attorney general joined in May.
CONTINUED:
NY attorney general fires back at Trump's defense of financial statements | Reuters
.
Feb 16 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general on Wednesday pounced on former President Donald Trump's defense of company's financial statements, saying the five-page statement Trump issued a day earlier contradicted a court filing by his attorneys.
"It is not unusual for parties to a legal proceeding to disagree about the facts," the attorney general's office wrote in a letter filed in New York state court. "But it is truly rare for a party to publicly disagree with statements submitted by his own attorneys in a signed pleading -- let alone one day after the pleading was filed."
Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a probe into whether the Trumps inflated real estate values to obtain bank loans, and reduced values to lower tax bills.
Trump's attorneys repeatedly stated that he did not know enough to respond to allegations of inaccurate valuations. But the former president's five-page statement got into detail about possible discrepancies, implying that he had more knowledge than his lawyers said.
On Monday, the attorney general's office made public a Feb. 9 letter from Trump's longtime accountant, Mazars, which said the Trump Organization's financial statements for 2011 through 2020 should no longer be relied on and that it would no longer do work for the former president's New York-based real estate business.
On Tuesday, Trump issued a five-page statement disparaging the attorney general and other New York officials, calling the investigation a political and racist attack, claiming Mazars had essentially been forced to resign, and defending the financial statements.
"Remember when the attorney general and or District Attorney say they think my financial statements may be high, I don't even include these branding numbers in them, which is far more than any discrepancy they may have," Trump wrote.
Instead of the "sham investigation" of his business, Trump said in another part of the five-page diatribe, law enforcement and the "fake news media" should look into former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as "murderers, drug dealers and rapists."
In a court filing on Monday in response to the attorney general's allegations of misleading financial statements, Trump, through his attorneys, repeatedly denied he had knowledge or information to form a belief as to the claims.
The attorney general is seeking testimony from Trump and two of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, as part of her civil probe of the company's business practices.
Justice Arthur Engoron in New York state court in Manhattan will hear arguments on Thursday on whether subpoenas for the testimony should be enforced.
A separate but overlapping criminal case involving the company's business practices is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, which the attorney general joined in May.
CONTINUED:
NY attorney general fires back at Trump's defense of financial statements | Reuters
.
Eeek Yep these guys are turning on trump
Until I see trump under oath, I won't believe anything will happen.
This mofo been delaying and appealing forever...
At what point do they say... ok...you've used all your appeals?
This mofo been delaying and appealing forever...
At what point do they say... ok...you've used all your appeals?
New York attorney general wants Trump held in contempt, fined $10,000 per day
New York's attorney general asked a state judge Thursday to issue an order of contempt against former President Donald Trump, claiming he has failed to comply with a previous ruling requiring him to turn over documents by March 31 as part of an investigation into his company's financial practices.
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James also requested that Trump be fined $10,000 a day until he complies with the ruling.
Trump and two of his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, were ordered on Feb. 17 to appear for depositions in James' long-running civil fraud probe. They appealed the order to appear, but did not at that time challenge a separate part of that ruling in which Donald Trump was ordered to comply with a subpoena "seeking documents and information."
The judge ordered Trump to comply with the demand for documents and information by March 3, and later extended that deadline to March 31 — a date that was agreed to by both sides at the time, according to a court document. In Thursday's filing, James' office said Trump has not only failed to comply with that order, but in recent days raised objections to it.
James' office said in Thursday's filing that Trump's attorneys later indicated that he would not produce any of the subpoenaed documents "because his counsel (based on search efforts that have not been divulged) could not find any."
"The judge's order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office," James said in a statement. "Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it. We are seeking the court's immediate intervention because no one is above the law."
An attorney for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment.
James' office claimed in a February press release that its wide-ranging investigation has collected evidence "showing that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization used fraudulent and misleading financial statements to obtain economic benefit." The initial focus of the probe was on whether the Trump Organization inflated the valuations of assets while seeking loans and insurance coverage, and deflated their value to reduce tax liability.
James' investigation was cited by accounting firm Mazars USA in a Feb. 9 letter recanting a decade of financial statements compiled for the Trump Organization. As part of its probe, James' office is also seeking information from a second accounting firm that did work for Trump's company, RSM US LLP.
Trump and the company have repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He called the investigation "unconstitutional" in a Dec. 20 phone call with CBS News, and referred to himself as "an aggrieved and innocent party." That day, Trump filed a federal suit aiming to halt James' investigation.
In Thursday's motion, James' office said Trump and his company have also stymied efforts by HaystackID, a company hired by court-order to collect so-called eDiscovery material, which includes documents and data.
"The Trump Organization is not presently searching any of Mr. Trump's custodial files or devices, and has no intention of doing so between now and April 15, 2022," James' office wrote in Thursday's filing.
Jame's investigation has run parallel to a separate criminal probe run by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. That investigation, which on July 1, 2021 led to charges against the Trump Organization and its CFO, appears stalled.
Two leading prosecutors, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, resigned in February, less than two months after newly-elected Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg took office, succeeding Cyrus Vance Jr., who launched the investigation in August 2018. In Pomerantz's resignation letter, which was published in The New York Times, Pomerantz wrote that Vance "concluded that the facts warranted prosecution," but that Bragg had "reached the decision … not to seek criminal charges at the present time."
Bragg said in a statement Thursday that the investigation "is continuing" and that his investigators and prosecutors are "exploring evidence not previously explored."
NY Attorney General wants Donald Trump held in contempt, fined $10,000 per day - CBS News
New York's attorney general asked a state judge Thursday to issue an order of contempt against former President Donald Trump, claiming he has failed to comply with a previous ruling requiring him to turn over documents by March 31 as part of an investigation into his company's financial practices.
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James also requested that Trump be fined $10,000 a day until he complies with the ruling.
Trump and two of his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, were ordered on Feb. 17 to appear for depositions in James' long-running civil fraud probe. They appealed the order to appear, but did not at that time challenge a separate part of that ruling in which Donald Trump was ordered to comply with a subpoena "seeking documents and information."
The judge ordered Trump to comply with the demand for documents and information by March 3, and later extended that deadline to March 31 — a date that was agreed to by both sides at the time, according to a court document. In Thursday's filing, James' office said Trump has not only failed to comply with that order, but in recent days raised objections to it.
James' office said in Thursday's filing that Trump's attorneys later indicated that he would not produce any of the subpoenaed documents "because his counsel (based on search efforts that have not been divulged) could not find any."
"The judge's order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office," James said in a statement. "Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it. We are seeking the court's immediate intervention because no one is above the law."
An attorney for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment.
James' office claimed in a February press release that its wide-ranging investigation has collected evidence "showing that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization used fraudulent and misleading financial statements to obtain economic benefit." The initial focus of the probe was on whether the Trump Organization inflated the valuations of assets while seeking loans and insurance coverage, and deflated their value to reduce tax liability.
James' investigation was cited by accounting firm Mazars USA in a Feb. 9 letter recanting a decade of financial statements compiled for the Trump Organization. As part of its probe, James' office is also seeking information from a second accounting firm that did work for Trump's company, RSM US LLP.
Trump and the company have repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He called the investigation "unconstitutional" in a Dec. 20 phone call with CBS News, and referred to himself as "an aggrieved and innocent party." That day, Trump filed a federal suit aiming to halt James' investigation.
In Thursday's motion, James' office said Trump and his company have also stymied efforts by HaystackID, a company hired by court-order to collect so-called eDiscovery material, which includes documents and data.
"The Trump Organization is not presently searching any of Mr. Trump's custodial files or devices, and has no intention of doing so between now and April 15, 2022," James' office wrote in Thursday's filing.
Jame's investigation has run parallel to a separate criminal probe run by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. That investigation, which on July 1, 2021 led to charges against the Trump Organization and its CFO, appears stalled.
Two leading prosecutors, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, resigned in February, less than two months after newly-elected Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg took office, succeeding Cyrus Vance Jr., who launched the investigation in August 2018. In Pomerantz's resignation letter, which was published in The New York Times, Pomerantz wrote that Vance "concluded that the facts warranted prosecution," but that Bragg had "reached the decision … not to seek criminal charges at the present time."
Bragg said in a statement Thursday that the investigation "is continuing" and that his investigators and prosecutors are "exploring evidence not previously explored."
NY Attorney General wants Donald Trump held in contempt, fined $10,000 per day - CBS News
New York AG Targets Real Estate Firm That Helped Trump
Investigators want to find out if the firm Cushman & Wakefield helped the Trump Organization misrepresent the value of their properties.
New York’s attorney general is seeking additional evidence from real estate company Cushman & Wakefield for its alleged role in helping former President Donald Trump inflate property values.
On Friday, Attorney General Letitia James asked a state judge to enforce two subpoenas for evidence her investigators have not yet received from the company. The documents they seek are part of her office’s probe against the Trump Organization, which allegedly faked business records to engage in bank fraud and tax fraud.
Investigators want to scrutinize the relationship between the Trump Organization and Cushman & Wakefield to see if the real estate firm was actively or just tacitly involved in an alleged scheme to fiddle with property values. The AG’s office also wants to explore how the real estate company appraised other developments versus howTrump projects were handled.
Specifically, the attorney general’s lawyers are examining Cushman & Wakefield’s role in the valuations and financing of Trump’s neo-Gothic skyscraper at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, as well as his forested Bruce-Wayne-like Seven Springs estate north of the city, and the Pacific Ocean waterfront Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.
According to a court filing on Friday, the real estate company complied with two subpoenas for information back in 2019. But the firm has not turned over evidence after getting a subpoena in September last year—or one it received this past February.
Cushman & Wakefield’s willingness to play ball on suspicious valuations for those properties was featured in the AG’s stunning court filing in January, when it described “significant evidence” of fraud.
For example, documents obtained by investigators show that a team of appraisers at Cushman & Wakefield assessed the Trump Organization’s share of the Wall Street tower at $200 million in 2010, then bumped it up to $220 million in 2012. When the Trump Organization tried to rework its bank loan with Capital One on more favorable terms by claiming that the value of its stake doubled just three years later to $550 million in 2015, Capital One refused to make a deal. But according to investigators, the Trump Organization’s then-chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg simply turned to his son, Jack Weisselberg, a director at the financial firm Ladder Capital. Ladder soon used thesame team at Cushman & Wakefield, according to investigators.
Material gathered by the AG’s office also shows that Trump’s second son, Eric, hired the real estate firm in June 2015 to appraise the Seven Springs estate. The firm determined that the property was worth $56.5 million shortly before Trump gave away development rights on a huge chunk of that land. The move allowed Trump to take a $21 million tax break.
“The [Office of the Attorney General] has identified evidence that the March 2016 appraisal itself relied on questionable assumptions indicating misrepresentations and significant omissions—such that even the $56.5 million valuation in that appraisal was improperly inflated,” New York government lawyers wrote in court papers in January.
Neither Cushman & Wakefield nor its attorneys immediately responded to a request for comment.
The real estate company cut ties with the Trump Organization in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, just as Trump was facing impeachment for directing a MAGA crowd to march on the U.S. Capitol building.
The AG’s filing on Friday is part of the office’s broader attempt to force companies and people to turn over additional evidence in what could be the final stages of its years-long investigation. Just a day earlier, James’ attorneys asked the judge to force Trump himself to shell out $10,000 a day as a penalty for refusing to hand over certain documents.
New York State Judge Arthur F. Engoron has already indicated that he will consider those penalties at a court hearing later this month.
The Trump Organization and its former CFO, Weisselberg, have already been indicted for tax fraud in a parallel criminal investigation being run by the Manhattan District Attorney. However, that investigation is losing key prosecutors and appears to be unraveling.
New York Attorney General Letitia James Targets Real Estate Firm that Helped Trump (thedailybeast.com)
.
Investigators want to find out if the firm Cushman & Wakefield helped the Trump Organization misrepresent the value of their properties.
New York’s attorney general is seeking additional evidence from real estate company Cushman & Wakefield for its alleged role in helping former President Donald Trump inflate property values.
On Friday, Attorney General Letitia James asked a state judge to enforce two subpoenas for evidence her investigators have not yet received from the company. The documents they seek are part of her office’s probe against the Trump Organization, which allegedly faked business records to engage in bank fraud and tax fraud.
Investigators want to scrutinize the relationship between the Trump Organization and Cushman & Wakefield to see if the real estate firm was actively or just tacitly involved in an alleged scheme to fiddle with property values. The AG’s office also wants to explore how the real estate company appraised other developments versus howTrump projects were handled.
Specifically, the attorney general’s lawyers are examining Cushman & Wakefield’s role in the valuations and financing of Trump’s neo-Gothic skyscraper at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, as well as his forested Bruce-Wayne-like Seven Springs estate north of the city, and the Pacific Ocean waterfront Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.
According to a court filing on Friday, the real estate company complied with two subpoenas for information back in 2019. But the firm has not turned over evidence after getting a subpoena in September last year—or one it received this past February.
Cushman & Wakefield’s willingness to play ball on suspicious valuations for those properties was featured in the AG’s stunning court filing in January, when it described “significant evidence” of fraud.
For example, documents obtained by investigators show that a team of appraisers at Cushman & Wakefield assessed the Trump Organization’s share of the Wall Street tower at $200 million in 2010, then bumped it up to $220 million in 2012. When the Trump Organization tried to rework its bank loan with Capital One on more favorable terms by claiming that the value of its stake doubled just three years later to $550 million in 2015, Capital One refused to make a deal. But according to investigators, the Trump Organization’s then-chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg simply turned to his son, Jack Weisselberg, a director at the financial firm Ladder Capital. Ladder soon used thesame team at Cushman & Wakefield, according to investigators.
Material gathered by the AG’s office also shows that Trump’s second son, Eric, hired the real estate firm in June 2015 to appraise the Seven Springs estate. The firm determined that the property was worth $56.5 million shortly before Trump gave away development rights on a huge chunk of that land. The move allowed Trump to take a $21 million tax break.
“The [Office of the Attorney General] has identified evidence that the March 2016 appraisal itself relied on questionable assumptions indicating misrepresentations and significant omissions—such that even the $56.5 million valuation in that appraisal was improperly inflated,” New York government lawyers wrote in court papers in January.
Neither Cushman & Wakefield nor its attorneys immediately responded to a request for comment.
The real estate company cut ties with the Trump Organization in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, just as Trump was facing impeachment for directing a MAGA crowd to march on the U.S. Capitol building.
The AG’s filing on Friday is part of the office’s broader attempt to force companies and people to turn over additional evidence in what could be the final stages of its years-long investigation. Just a day earlier, James’ attorneys asked the judge to force Trump himself to shell out $10,000 a day as a penalty for refusing to hand over certain documents.
New York State Judge Arthur F. Engoron has already indicated that he will consider those penalties at a court hearing later this month.
The Trump Organization and its former CFO, Weisselberg, have already been indicted for tax fraud in a parallel criminal investigation being run by the Manhattan District Attorney. However, that investigation is losing key prosecutors and appears to be unraveling.
New York Attorney General Letitia James Targets Real Estate Firm that Helped Trump (thedailybeast.com)
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Judge Finds Donald Trump In Civil Contempt For Failing To Turn Over Documents; Former President Faces $10,000 Per Day In Fines
A New York judge has found Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena to turn over documents to Attorney General Letitia James as part of her investigation into the business dealings of the Trump Organization.
James’ investigation is a civil proceeding, so the former president faces being fined $10,000 per day for every day he does not comply.
James called the judge’s ruling a “major victory.”
Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump had failed to abide by his order to comply with James’ subpoena for the documents.
“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously,” the judge said before issuing his ruling, according to the AP. Trump was not present in the courtroom.
James’ investigation has focused on whether the Trump Organization provided misleading statements about its finances, including the valuation of assets. Trump has called his investigation politically motivated.
During a hearing, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said that the former president does not have the documents requested in the subpoeda, according to CNN.
James’ office has argued that the judge’s order for compliance “was not an opening bid for a negotiation or an invitation for a new round of challenges to the subpoena,” but that Trump’s team has continued to delay the process. Her office wrote in a brief that “the ship has long since sailed on Mr. Trump’s ability to raise any such objections.”
A Trump Organization spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. Trump has not yet responded.
Judge Finds Donald Trump In Civil Contempt For Failing To Turn Over Documents; Former President Faces $10,000 Per Day In Fines – Deadline
A New York judge has found Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena to turn over documents to Attorney General Letitia James as part of her investigation into the business dealings of the Trump Organization.
James’ investigation is a civil proceeding, so the former president faces being fined $10,000 per day for every day he does not comply.
James called the judge’s ruling a “major victory.”
Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump had failed to abide by his order to comply with James’ subpoena for the documents.
“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously,” the judge said before issuing his ruling, according to the AP. Trump was not present in the courtroom.
James’ investigation has focused on whether the Trump Organization provided misleading statements about its finances, including the valuation of assets. Trump has called his investigation politically motivated.
During a hearing, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said that the former president does not have the documents requested in the subpoeda, according to CNN.
James’ office has argued that the judge’s order for compliance “was not an opening bid for a negotiation or an invitation for a new round of challenges to the subpoena,” but that Trump’s team has continued to delay the process. Her office wrote in a brief that “the ship has long since sailed on Mr. Trump’s ability to raise any such objections.”
A Trump Organization spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. Trump has not yet responded.
Judge Finds Donald Trump In Civil Contempt For Failing To Turn Over Documents; Former President Faces $10,000 Per Day In Fines – Deadline
Donald Trump can't pay $10,000 a day for long. He is not the rich man he has portrayed himself to be. Leticia James is head hunting Tyson style circa 1986.
They’re asking “Awwww, is going to pay? Can he pay? Is Trump going to pay?” and let me tell you, if you think that that’s what I’m going to do then you have lost—listen, why would I pay? Can I pay? Of course I can pay, I’m rich. I’m quite—I mean, very rich! Some of you are saying “well, how rich is he, Trump?” and I’m saying that you don’t even know the half. You don’t know the half. And, even if you knew the half my half is much much bigger than the half you have left. And that’s a sizable chunk. A massive chunk. Huge! And I don’t like to brag because people get upset when you brag, so I don’t brag. I just keep—I say nothing. Zip! Look at this! Watch my hand—ZZZZIP! Because you know that if I say anything than your war dog Luh-tesseuh—I think that’s how you say it. These crazy names—the blacks. Lah-teecia, like Queen Laticiaaaaa. Great voice. Killer voice, bad movies. Harrible movies! Now, now…they’ve made her prosecutor in real life.
GOOD
You forgot about his slick ass campaign donations.... I think it's worded that donations over $5k can be used for whatever he wants to use them for...
sidebar: They just keep giving to the billionaire who said, and I quote ... "I'm rich, I don't need your money, I can use my own"
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Judge Says Real Estate Giant Broke Rules for Trump
Judge Arthur Engoron has already determined that one of the largest real estate firms in the world broke its own rules to help the Trump Organization.
A New York judge has determined that Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest real estate firms, broke its own rules to appease the Trump Organization and the former American president’s chronic practice of inflating the value of his properties.
Judge Arthur F. Engoron’s surprising assertions were included in his court order on Wednesday, in which he formally directed Cushman & Wakefield to turn over documents to the New York attorney general’s office.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the Trump Organization over what prosecutors have determined to be a long-running pattern of hyping the value of golf resorts and buildings in California and New York, as part of a scheme to commit bank and insurance fraud.
“This court has reviewed numerous documents in camera demonstrating that C&W was not consistent in adhering to its internal quality control practices when conducting appraisals on behalf of the Trump Organization,” he wrote.
By enforcing the AG’s subpoenas, Engoron’s court order adds key support to the New York investigation, which is heating up in what could be the final phases of the probe. When the investigation concludes, James will be able to sue the Trump Organization and others for violations of the state’s business laws—and seek to shut them down permanently and seek monetary damages.
“It is within the OAG’s purview to investigate C&W’s appraisals to determine if C&W has appropriately and accurately disclosed to regulators and other governmental authority whether its internal quality controls were followed,” Engoron added.
Sawnie A. McEntire, a Texas lawyer representing the real estate services firm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its multi-year investigation, the AG’s office has already amassed hundreds of thousands of documents that describe how Trump valued his Trump Tower skyscraper on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, his private golf club and forested Seven Springs estate north of the city, and his other golf club near Los Angeles.
Some of the evidence made public by James in January revealed the ridiculous lengths which Trump went to inflate the value of his properties, including one instance in which he lied by simply tripling the size of his already humongous three-story penthouse at Trump Tower. The twice-impeached former president’s company repeatedly turned to Cushman & Wakefield to assess the value of those properties.
Investigators contend they need additional evidence from Cushman & Wakefield to see if the firm played fast and loose with other clients. The firm has been pushing back, claiming that handing over that kind of proprietary data to law enforcement would violate the corporation’s rights to keep them secret.
In court on Monday, the AG’s attorneys detailed how their investigators had caught Cushman & Wakefield employees lying in ways that would benefit the Trump Organization.
Assistant attorney general Austin Thompson laid out how the firm’s appraisers routinely abdicated their responsibilities and just defaulted to whatever the Trump company and its outside lawyer, Sheri Dillon, wanted from them. He cited two instances in Los Angeles and Seven Springs when appraisers claimed they created value assessments that factored in planned real estate development timelines—except the appraisers just filled in the blanks as they were told.
“In both instances, a Cushman appraiser appears to have crafted the development timeline and falsely attributed it to somebody else,” Thompson said in court on Monday.
Thompson said that when investigators sought necessary records from the company, it responded in a way that was "intransigent and incalcitrant"—handing over documents without any explanation or context, leaving attorneys without a clue how to sort through the evidence.
Judge Says Real Estate Giant Cushman and Wakefield Broke Rules for Donald Trump (thedailybeast.com)
Judge Arthur Engoron has already determined that one of the largest real estate firms in the world broke its own rules to help the Trump Organization.
A New York judge has determined that Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest real estate firms, broke its own rules to appease the Trump Organization and the former American president’s chronic practice of inflating the value of his properties.
Judge Arthur F. Engoron’s surprising assertions were included in his court order on Wednesday, in which he formally directed Cushman & Wakefield to turn over documents to the New York attorney general’s office.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the Trump Organization over what prosecutors have determined to be a long-running pattern of hyping the value of golf resorts and buildings in California and New York, as part of a scheme to commit bank and insurance fraud.
- Judge to Trump Org: Quit Stalling on Turning Over Evidence
HURRY UP
Jose Pagliery
https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-demands-trump-organization-to-quit-stalling-on-evidence
“This court has reviewed numerous documents in camera demonstrating that C&W was not consistent in adhering to its internal quality control practices when conducting appraisals on behalf of the Trump Organization,” he wrote.
By enforcing the AG’s subpoenas, Engoron’s court order adds key support to the New York investigation, which is heating up in what could be the final phases of the probe. When the investigation concludes, James will be able to sue the Trump Organization and others for violations of the state’s business laws—and seek to shut them down permanently and seek monetary damages.
“It is within the OAG’s purview to investigate C&W’s appraisals to determine if C&W has appropriately and accurately disclosed to regulators and other governmental authority whether its internal quality controls were followed,” Engoron added.
Sawnie A. McEntire, a Texas lawyer representing the real estate services firm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In its multi-year investigation, the AG’s office has already amassed hundreds of thousands of documents that describe how Trump valued his Trump Tower skyscraper on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, his private golf club and forested Seven Springs estate north of the city, and his other golf club near Los Angeles.
Some of the evidence made public by James in January revealed the ridiculous lengths which Trump went to inflate the value of his properties, including one instance in which he lied by simply tripling the size of his already humongous three-story penthouse at Trump Tower. The twice-impeached former president’s company repeatedly turned to Cushman & Wakefield to assess the value of those properties.
Investigators contend they need additional evidence from Cushman & Wakefield to see if the firm played fast and loose with other clients. The firm has been pushing back, claiming that handing over that kind of proprietary data to law enforcement would violate the corporation’s rights to keep them secret.
In court on Monday, the AG’s attorneys detailed how their investigators had caught Cushman & Wakefield employees lying in ways that would benefit the Trump Organization.
Assistant attorney general Austin Thompson laid out how the firm’s appraisers routinely abdicated their responsibilities and just defaulted to whatever the Trump company and its outside lawyer, Sheri Dillon, wanted from them. He cited two instances in Los Angeles and Seven Springs when appraisers claimed they created value assessments that factored in planned real estate development timelines—except the appraisers just filled in the blanks as they were told.
“In both instances, a Cushman appraiser appears to have crafted the development timeline and falsely attributed it to somebody else,” Thompson said in court on Monday.
Thompson said that when investigators sought necessary records from the company, it responded in a way that was "intransigent and incalcitrant"—handing over documents without any explanation or context, leaving attorneys without a clue how to sort through the evidence.
Judge Says Real Estate Giant Cushman and Wakefield Broke Rules for Donald Trump (thedailybeast.com)
This is going to get very interesting
He's going to skate. Whites always protect their own.
If it wasn’t for January 6 I would have somewhat agree with you but he is going to pay dearly for that bullshit the powers that be did not like that shit.
He will get a baby slap. Everything he did is common, and these rich fucks write the laws. Why the fuck you think he capped mortgage interest payments at 10k? To punished middle class landlords like me so we can pay for the rich and the poor. We need a French revolution in this bitch. Let them eat cock