Letitia James, a Democratic elected official, has indicated that she is seeking $250 million in reparations on behalf of New York state, as well as a ban from running businesses for Donald Trump and his children Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump.
The 76-year-old Republican billionaire is also being investigated for his role in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as for his attempts to nullify the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified documents, which which recently led the FBI to raid his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
The 45th president of the United States (2017-2021), who is considering running again in 2024, has not yet been criminally prosecuted in any of these cases.
– “New witch hunt” –
The New York prosecutor’s lawsuit, filed in the state Supreme Court, “demonstrates that Donald Trump falsely inflated the net worth (of his assets) by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system, as well as everyone. us,” James said.
According to her, the value of assets has been “repeatedly and persistently manipulated” to “encourage banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms”, “pay less taxes” or even “to induce insurance companies to provide insurance coverage for higher limits and lower premiums.”
“In short, he lied for huge financial gain,” he said.
On his social network Truth Social, the former president denounced “a new witch hunt,” accusing James of political persecution.
“Letitia James is the most corrupt prosecutor in the history of the United States,” added her son Eric Trump, indicted as executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
“A tale of two justice systems – yes, where criminals go free and Democrats only go after their political opponents!” Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington wrote on Truth Social.
Golf courses, Trump Tower in New York, the Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach: James’ team listed the contentions in a 222-page lawsuit, which also targets former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, and to his financial controller, Jeffrey McConney.
For his part, Weisselberg has already pleaded guilty before the Manhattan district attorney to 15 counts of tax fraud and evasion involving $1.76 billion in unreported income between 2005 and 2021.
The Trump Organization will be judged for these facts in a process that begins on October 24.
– “The art of theft” –
James said his office, which lacks the authority to bring criminal charges, submitted the file to the criminal justice system as well as the IRS.
“White-collar financial crime is not a victimless crime,” the prosecutor said.
“When people with connections break the law to receive more money than they are entitled to, it reduces the resources available to workers, ordinary people, small businesses and all taxpayers.”
James’s lawsuit calls for the “prohibition” for Donald Trump or the Trump Organization “from participating in any acquisition of commercial real estate in the state of New York or requesting loans from any financial institution,” it said.
New York authorities have been investigating Trump and his family business since 2018, when the Manhattan district attorney opened an investigation into the then-president.
The civil investigation of James began the following year, after a former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, gave testimony indicating the company had engaged in improper practices.
“Mr. Trump thought he could get away with the art of theft, but today that behavior ends,” James said, referring to Trump’s book “The Art of Dealing.”
