Source: New York Daily News / Getty
The Attorney General for New York, Letitia James, provided more details of her investigation into alleged fraudulent behavior by Donald Trump and his family as she reiterated her office’s desire to question him.
In a legal filing made available late on Tuesday night (January 18th), James’ office detailed how former President Trump’s business organization made what they termed as misleading statements about the value of six properties he owned and the “Trump Brand”. These include Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan, New York as well as his golf clubs in Westchester County and in Scotland.
“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 Attorney General said in a statement regarding the filing. The court papers were filed approximately one hour before the deadline in response to an effort by Trump to block James and her office from directly questioning him and children Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump under oath about these allegations. The papers also revealed that Eric Trump had been questioned by James and her office in October 2020 and that he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself as the answer to over 500 questions posed to him.
The details of these allegations at the heart of the civil court investigation show that the misrepresentation of the Trump properties benefited Trump’s company, allowing it to receive more favorable tax breaks and insurance coverage. The filing cites Trump also benefited by submitting these misrepresented claims to the Internal Revenue Service on two occasions. The attorney general is also working with Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg’s office, which is running a criminal investigation into the same behavior. Trump’s organization is currently under indictment since July 2021, with the case set to take place later this year.