The attorney general of New York state, who has been conducting a civil investigation into the former president’s business activities for more than three years, filed a fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his adult children on Wednesday, according to court documents.
The Trump Organization was charged in the complaint with ‘many acts of fraud and deceit’ in the preparation of Trump’s yearly statements of financial condition from 2011 to 2021, which was filed in a New York state court in Manhattan. Additionally identified as defendants were the Trump Organization, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and the former president’s son.
Letitia James, the attorney general, is looking into whether the Trump Organization lied about the valuations of its real estate holdings in order to qualify for loans and tax breaks. At 11:30 a.m. EDT, James was supposed to make a statement (1530 GMT). She stated that ‘strong evidence’ that Trump and the business misvalued several of its assets had been found as a result of the probe.
The former Republican president has refuted all accusations of impropriety and called James’ investigation a politically motivated witch hunt. Democrat James is. The Trump Organization referred to James’ claims as ‘baseless’. The complaint was filed on Wednesday in response to a controversial probe in which James accused Trump, his business, and certain members of his family of employing delay strategies to evade subpoenas and avoid testifying. In a protracted, behind-closed-door deposition at the attorney general’s office on August 10, Trump refused to respond to questions and more than 400 times invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.
After court orders mandated it, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump consented to take depositions. In a 2020 deposition, Eric Trump, a different kid of Donald Trump, used the privilege against self-incrimination more than 500 times. One of Trump’s major legal setbacks since he left office in January 2021 is the lawsuit. Trump is thinking about running for president once more in 2024.
On August 8, the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with a judge’s permission as part of a criminal inquiry into his management of presidential documents, including sensitive information. Georgia is also conducting a criminal investigation into Trump for his attempts to rig the 2020 election. In each investigation, he has maintained his innocence.
The criminal tax fraud investigation by Manhattan’s district attorney, Alvin Bragg, into the Trump Organization is distinct from James’ civil investigation. The business is due to go on trial in October for allegedly providing employees with benefits that were not documented. Allen Weisselberg, the organization’s former longstanding top financial officer, has admitted guilt and will testify against it. James is supporting Bragg’s criminal investigation.
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