WP: NY AG sues Trump family over “persistent illegal conduct” at Trump Foundation

[Dan T.]

 

[China]

Trump Org probe heats up as more staffers testify

 

As Manhattan DA Cy Vance prepares for his retirement this December, The New York Times reports that prosecutors are weighing tax-related crime charges against Trump Organization COO Matthew Calamari Sr. His son and fellow Trump Organization executive Matthew Calamari Jr. recently testified under oath before a grand jury, possibly helping prosecutors get a little closer to the evidence they need.

[China]

 

[China]

Apparently business is not good:

 

A $100 million loan on Trump Tower in Manhattan has been placed on a bank watch list, due to a slump in occupancy, reports say

 

A $100 million loan on Donald Trump's Fifth Avenue tower has been placed on a debt watch list, according to data from banking giant, Wells Fargo.

 

Bloomberg first reported the story on Friday, noting that the decision was a result of "lower average occupancy."

 

Wells Fargo, which is the master servicer of the loan, said occupancy has dipped to 78.9% from 85.9% at the end of 2020, according to the outlet.

 

The building's real estate income was $33.7 million in 2020 and $7.5 million in the first quarter of this year, according to loan documents, Bloomberg noted. 

 

Recently, multiple tenants fell behind on rent. The Trump Organization sued the maker of Ivanka Trump's shoe line earlier this year for $1.5 million in unpaid rent, according to reports. 

 

Some of Trump's properties elsewhere in the US have also been facing scrutiny. The former president's property tax was slashed for his Chicago office tower because the building's commercial space was mostly vacant, The Chicago Sun-Times first reported. 

 

That building's retail space had its assessed value cut to $12.5 million, down from $19.9 million, Insider's Kevin Shalvey reported. The assessed value was cut by about 37% because about 95% of the square footage was vacant, the report said. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

 

[China]

Lawyer for Trump Organization CFO says more indictments are expected in 15-year tax fraud case

 

Additional indictments may be forthcoming in the Manhattan district attorney's long-running investigation into former president Donald Trump's company and its finances, an attorney for the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, said in a court proceeding Monday.

 

The attorney, Bryan Skarlatos, added that prosecutors recently handed over a trove of new evidence, including tax documents found in the basements of "co-conspirators." It's not clear what co-conspirators he was referencing or how significant the new documents are to the case.

 

----------

 

In court on Monday, prosecutors argued that Weisselberg’s team was exaggerating the difficulty of sorting through documents. Assistant District Attorney Solomon Shinerock said the “core documents” in the case were turned over when Weisselberg was arraigned on charges including tax fraud, conspiracy, grand larceny and falsifying business records. Shinerock added that Weisselberg, who has been at the company for 35 years, “is no stranger to these documents.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

According to CNN the co-conspirator's basement that the documents were found in were McConney, the controller of the Trump Organization.

[China]

 

[China]

Trump DC hotel incurred more than $70 million in losses while Trump was president, documents show

 

Former President Donald Trump racked up more than $70 million in losses over a four-year period from his Washington, DC, hotel, while publicly claiming that the hotel was making more than tens of millions of dollars, according to documents released by the House Oversight Committee.

 

It's the first time that congressional investigators have reviewed and released details of the former president's financial information. The Manhattan district attorney and New York attorney general investigators have reviewed Trump's financials, but none of that has been made public.

Trump's income from the Trump International Hotel reported in public financial disclosures dating from 2016 to 2020 totaled more than $156 million, the committee said Friday.

But in that four-year period, Trump's DC hotel actually suffered a net loss of more than $70 million while he was president and had to be loaned more than $27 million from one of Trump's holding companies, DJT Holdings LLC, from 2017 to 2020, according to hotel financial statements the committee obtained.

More than $24 million was not repaid and was instead converted to capital contributions, the committee said.

The documents include details that Congress chased for years during Trump's presidency, specifically information about foreign payments to Trump businesses, over which House Democrats unsuccessfully sued for under the emoluments clause of the Constitution. The emoluments clause, an anti-corruption provision written by the nation's founders, said Congress should be able to approve any gifts to officeholders from foreign governments. But despite the House's years-long interest in an autopsy of Trump's finances, congressional approval of foreign payments the Trump Organization took in never happened.

The committee also claimed that General Services Administration documents showed that Trump received "undisclosed preferential treatment" from Deutsche Bank on a $170 million construction loan.

The terms of the loan required the Trump Hotel to start repayments on the principal in 2018, but the terms were revised that year to allow the Trump Hotel to defer those payments by six years.

CNN has reached out to the Trump Organization, the GSA and Deutsche Bank for comment.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Trump Org Under Scrutiny by Westchester DA for What Town Assessor Calls ‘Discrepancy’ Between Value of Golf Club on Balance Sheets and ‘Tax Purposes’

 

A Trump family business is reportedly being investigated by the Westchester County, N.Y. District Attorney’s Office.

 

Originally reported by The New York Times and “confirmed” by CNN, the probe is said to focus on allegations that the Trump Organization misled authorities about the property value of a golf course in order to pay lower property taxes. The outlets cite “people with knowledge of the matter” and “people familiar with the matter,” respectively.

 

Law&Crime reached out to Westchester DA Mimi Rocah’s (D) office for comment and confirmation on the investigation but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication. Jess Vecchiarelli, Rocah’s spokesperson, reportedly declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the newspaper and by the television network.

 

The Trump National Golf Club Westchester is located in the town of Ossining, N.Y. where local officials set property taxes on the palatial, 140-acre private club just miles north of New York City.

The investigation is said to have been going on for “months,” and details are scarce. Activists in Ossining have targeted the club — technically located in the tiny village of Briarcliff Manor — since 2017 at least over the tax issue, according to the Westchester, N.Y. Journal News.

 

Property tax issues have dogged the club for some time. In July of this year, the Ossining town board signed off on a settlement with Trump National Golf Club LLC “correcting and reducing” the value of the golf club for five years beginning in 2016. Originally assessed top-line valuations of $15.8 million were reduced to a range of between $9.75 million and $11 million.

 

In September, the Briarcliff Manor Board of Education approved a refund of $588,155 based on those mutually-agreed-upon tax devaluations. Ossining paid back $20,455 at the time while Westchester County refunded the Trump Organization $111,989.

 

No one at the club has been accused of wrongdoing. It currently unclear whether any charges will result from the investigation.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Another Trump Golf Course Appears To Be Using The Presidential Seal. Doing So May Be Illegal.

 

A golf marker displaying the presidential seal appears to be in use at a Bronx course operated by the Trump Organization, according to a photo posted to Instagram on Saturday.

 

Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point is at least the second Trump property that appears to be using the presidential seal on tee markers, possibly violating a federal law that that bars exhibiting the seal in a way that could convey the impression of government approval or sponsorship. Similarly, it’s illegal to manufacture a likeness of the seal without government authorization. While the punishment can be up to six months in prison, prosecutors have not prioritized going after people who misuse the seal.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

[EmirOfShmo]

Things might get a little warmer for TFG down in Georgia...

 

TRUMP’S ODDS OF ESCAPING CRIMINAL CHARGES IN GEORGIA DO NOT LOOK GOOD

 

One of the most infuriating qualities about former president Donald J. Trump is his habit of lying about everything all the time. Another is his total disregard for human life. But probably the number one most enraging thing about him is his lifelong habit of escaping any and all consequences for being what the U.S. penal code section 219(a)(5)(a) defines as “a corrupt mother****er.” Whether it was attempting to extort Ukraine, lying to the public about COVID-19, reportedly not paying his bills, or allegedly raping a woman in a department store—which he of course denies—the man has somehow consistently avoided any and all repercussions, save for a financial settlement here and a financial settlement there. On the other hand, his luck on that front may be running out!

In addition to facing dozens of lawsuits, the 45th president is also the subject of three separate criminal investigations, one of which seemingly got a boost this week. That probe is the one being conducted by Fulton County, Georgia, regarding the infamous phone call Trump made to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, in which the then president pressured Raffensperger to “find” him the votes to win the state in the 2020 election. Presumably, prosecutors are extremely interested in a new book out today by Raffensperger, Integrity Counts, in which he says in no uncertain terms that Trump threatened him while demanding he magically come up with 11,780 votes necessary to beat Joe Biden.

One section of the book the district attorney’s office may be paying close attention to recounts the January 2, 2021, phone call between the president, Raffensperger, Raffensperger’s general counsel, Ryan Germany, and assorted other parties. According to a copy of Raffensperger’s book obtained by the Hive, it goes like this:

 

President Trump: I think you’re going to find that they are shredding ballots because they have to get rid of the ballots because the ballots are unsigned. The ballots are corrupt, and they’re brand new, and they don’t have seals, and there’s a whole thing with the ballots. But the ballots are corrupt.

And you are going to find that they are—which is totally illegal—it is more illegal for you than it is for them, because, you know what they did and you’re not reporting it. That’s a criminal, that’s a criminal offense. And you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that’s a big risk.

Observation: Now President Trump is using what he believes is the power of his position to threaten Ryan and me with prosecution if we don’t do what he tells us to do. It was nothing but an attempt at manipulation.

President Trump: But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I’ve heard. And they are removing machinery, and they’re moving it as fast as they can. Both of which are criminal fines. And you can’t let it happen, and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I’m notifying you that you’re letting it happen…. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, because we won the state.

Observation: The president now is directly telling us what he wants—the exact number of votes he needs to win Georgia.

President Trump: And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, you know, this is…it’s a testament that they can admit to a mistake or whatever you want to call it. If it was a mistake, I don’t know. A lot of people think it wasn’t a mistake. It was much more criminal than that. But it’s a big problem in Georgia, and it’s not a problem that’s going away. I mean, you know, it’s not a problem that’s going away.

 

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/donald-trump-brad-raffensperger-georgia-phone-call

[China]

New York Attorney General To Subpoena Trump In Fraud Investigation: Reports

 

New York’s attorney general plans to subpoena former President Donald Trump as part of the state’s civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization, according to reports.

 

Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to have Trump sit for a deposition early next year to question him about whether the Trump Organization manipulated valuations of its real estate properties, The Washington Post first reported Thursday.

 

If James finds evidence of wrongdoing, she could file a civil lawsuit against Trump, but could not file criminal charges. However, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has been conducting a criminal probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices for the last several years. James is also involved in that investigation.

 

Investigators in the criminal probe have spent more than two years looking into whether the Trump Organization misled banks or tax officials about the value of the company’s assets. The probe has already resulted in tax fraud charges against the former president’s company.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Ball Security]

 

 

[Bang]

Whatever.

This thread and the so-called suit is 3 years old. 

 

NOTHING IS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM UNTIL HE DIES NATURALLY. NOTHING. IS. GOING. TO. HAPPEN>
He will pay for NONE OF IT. EVER.

We are so incredibly weak. So incredibly mind-numbingly weak.

 

It is ****ing embarrassing what we have allowed this absolute clown to get away with. And get away with it he WILL.

 

**** this ****.

 

~Bang

Edited December 14, 2021 by Bang

[China]

Trump’s longtime accountant testifies to N.Y. grand jury in criminal probe

 

A longtime accountant for former president Donald Trump — who helped prepare Trump’s taxes and the financial statements his company used to woo lenders — testified recently before a New York grand jury investigating Trump’s financial practices, according to two people familiar with that investigation.

 

Accountant Donald Bender, of the firm Mazars, appeared before a grand jury that was impaneled this fall by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D) to weigh potential criminal charges, the people said.

 

In addition, in recent weeks prosecutors have interviewed Rosemary Vrablic, a former managing director at Deutsche Bank who arranged hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to Trump, according to people familiar with the investigation. Vrablic’s interview was not before the grand jury. Instead, one person said, prosecutors pressed Vrablic about Trump’s role in dealings with the bank.

 

The appearances by Bender and Vrablic suggest prosecutors are seeking information about Trump’s finances from a small circle of outside partners who handled details of Trump’s taxes and real estate deals. Bender and Vrablic were never Trump’s employees, but they knew more about his company’s inner workings than many employees did.

 

Bender’s first appearance before the grand jury was brief, the people said. But they said he could return for more testimony in the coming weeks.

 

His appearance could be significant because Bender handled vast amounts of Trump’s financial information as an outside accountant. Prosecutors already obtained millions of pages of Trump-related documents from Bender’s firm, after a court battle that went to the Supreme Court twice.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

This isn't related to his company's fraud, or his fraud, but since Congress has been trying to get Trump's tax returns for years, here's the latest:

 

Trump tax records can be released by Treasury Department to House, judge rules

 

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected former president Donald Trump’s long-running effort to block the Treasury Department from turning over his tax records to the House Ways and Means Committee, but put the ruling on hold pending an expected appeal.

 

U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a former Trump Justice Department official appointed to the court in 2017, said even if the former president’s attorneys were correct that House Democrats wanted his records only to expose them for political gain, they were “wrong on the law.”

 

“A long line of Supreme Court cases requires great deference to facially valid congressional inquiries. Even the special solicitude accorded former Presidents does not alter the outcome. The Court will therefore dismiss this case,” McFadden wrote in a 45-page opinion.

 

The House Ways and Means Committee sought six years of Trump’s tax returns, saying it wanted to review the effectiveness of the presidential audit program. Trump sued to block the release of the records, saying it was an attempt to harass him and dig up political dirt.

 

The decision is the latest by federal judges in Washington in a separation-of-powers dispute between Trump and Congress to go against the former president. A U.S. appeals court on Dec. 9 rejected Trump’s bid to keep his White House documents secret from a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The appeals court found that his claims of executive privilege did not outweigh the decision by his successor and incumbent President Biden to release them, setting up an emergency Supreme Court review.

 

The Biden Justice Department similarly agreed in July to release Trump’s tax records to the House, reversing the department’s earlier refusal under the Trump administration to comply with the House’s 2019 subpoena.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

The judge stayed the ruling for 14 days to allow time for an appeal, which I'm sure Trump's lawyers will.

[China]

Trump tells court he will appeal ruling that would allow the House to obtain his tax returns

 

A federal judge on Tuesday dealt a blow to former President Donald Trump's bid to keep his tax returns from Congress, ruling that the Treasury Department could disclose them to the House committee that requested them more than two years ago.

 

Overnight, Trump's attorneys told the court they would appeal.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Ball Security]

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

[PleaseBlitz]

Witch hunt!  

[China]

15 minutes ago, Ball Security said:

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

 

I hope this is true.  Until it actually happens, it's just a happy thought.

 

Not seeing this reported anywhere else.

[TheGreatBuzz]

51 minutes ago, Ball Security said:

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

I’ll believe it when I see it.

[mistertim]

I don't buy it.

[China]

[China]

House Report Finds Lax Federal Oversight of Trump's DC Hotel

 

The federal agency overseeing the lease of the luxury hotel that Donald Trump's family company runs in the nation's capital failed to carry out its basic responsibilities because it never tracked the millions of dollars from foreign governments patronizing the hotel or examined the origins of a $75 million loan that helped keep its doors open, according to a congressional report Thursday.

 

The General Services Administration "washed its hands of responsibility” to review how much the Trump International Hotel was profiting during his presidency from foreign government payments in possible violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause, according to the report by the Democratic-led House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. That provision bars presidents from receiving gifts or payments from foreign governments.

 

The committee said the GSA “ignored critical ethical and constitutional issues involving then-President Trump’s financial interest in the hotel.”

 

Neither the agency nor the Trump Organization responded to requests for comment.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Die Hard]

18 hours ago, Ball Security said:

Merry Christmas

 

 

 

 

[skinsmarydu]

From (too many) years ago...