Trump, adult children sued by New York attorney general for fraud
- Attorneys say Trump misrepresented the values of real estate properties to get favorable loans and tax benefits.
- says she is seeking to disgorge all of the defendants’ fraudulently obtained benefits, estimated at $250 million.
- The case is the biggest legal setback since Trump left office in January 2021.
New York: Donald Trump And his grown children were sued by the New York state attorney general on Wednesday for “numerous frauds and misrepresentations” in the civil investigation into the former US president’s business practices, court records show.
The lawsuit, filed in New York state court in Manhattan, accuses the Trump Organization of wrongdoing in the preparation of Trump’s annual financial statements from 2011 to 2021. It also names the Trump Organization, the former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter. Ivanka Trump as Defendant
Attorney General Letitia James said Trump and the Trump Organization misrepresented the value of their properties to obtain favorable loans and tax benefits. She said she was referring allegations of criminal wrongdoing to federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the Internal Revenue Service.
“With the help of his children and senior Trump Organization executives, Donald Trump inflated his net worth into the billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system,” James said in a statement. said in a statement.
The case is Trump’s biggest legal setback since leaving office in January 2021. Trump is considering running for president again in 2024.
James told reporters that she is seeking to disgorge the defendants for all of the fraudulent benefits, estimated at $250 million. The lawsuit also seeks to bar Trump and his children from running companies in New York and the Trump Organization from engaging in real estate transactions. are doing
The Republican former president has denied any wrongdoing and has called the James investigation a politically motivated witch hunt. James is a Democrat. The Trump Organization has dismissed James’ allegations as baseless.
Wednesday’s lawsuit comes after a contentious investigation in which James accused Trump, his company and some family members of using delaying tactics to avoid appearances and testify.
Trump refused to answer questions during a lengthy, closed-door session at the attorney general’s office on Aug. 10, invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 400 times.
Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump agreed to sit for statements only after court orders required it.
Another of Trump’s children, Eric Trump, invoked the right to self-incrimination more than 500 times in a 2020 statement.
Trump has been surrounded by legal troubles since leaving the White House.
The FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on August 8 as part of a criminal investigation into his handling of presidential records, including classified material.
Trump also faces a criminal investigation into trying to overturn 2020 in Georgia. Election Results
He has denied wrongdoing in various investigations.
James’ civil investigation is separate from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal tax fraud investigation against the Trump Organization.
The company is set to go on trial in October, accused of paying employees off-the-books benefits. Its former longtime chief financial officer, Alan Wesselberg, has pleaded guilty and will testify against the company. Read more
James is helping Bragg with a criminal investigation.