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A2   UP FRONT
              Thursday 22 sepTember 2022
            Trump accused of vast fraud in suit by N.Y. attorney general




            Continued from Front         ance,  financial  reporting,  into  his  efforts  to  overturn  in  Florida,  and  a  special  from  the  pharmaceutical
                                         valuations  and  disclosures  the 2020 election.          grand jury in Georgia is in-  industry for life.
            The  alleged  scheme  was  to lenders, insurers and tax  The  Trump  Organization  is  vestigating  whether  Trump  In  a  previous  clash  with
            intended to burnish Trump’s  authorities.                 set to go on trial in October  and  others  attempted  to  Trump, James oversaw the
            billionaire  image  and  the  She  is  seeking  to  replace  in a criminal case alleging  influence state election of-  closure  of  his  charity,  the
            value  of  his  properties  the  current  trustees  of  that  it  schemed  to  give  ficials.                       Trump Foundation, after her
            when  doing  so  gave  him  Trump’s  revocable  trust,  untaxed perks to senior ex-    All  of  the  legal  drama  is  predecessor in the attorney
            an  advantage,  such  as  in  which  controls  his  business  ecutives, including its long-  playing  out  ahead  of  the  general’s  office,  Barbara
            obtaining  favorable  loan  interests, with independent  time finance chief Weissel-   November  midterm  elec-     Underwood, filed a lawsuit
            terms,  while  playing  down                                                                                        alleging  he  misused  its  as-
            the  value  of  assets  at  oth-                                                                                    sets to resolve business dis-
            er  times  for  tax  purposes,                                                                                      putes and boost his run for
            James’ office said.                                                                                                 the  White  House.  A  judge
            “This investigation revealed                                                                                        ordered  Trump  to  pay  $2
            that  Donald  Trump  en-                                                                                            million to an array of chari-
            gaged  in  years  of  illegal                                                                                       ties to settle the matter.
            conduct  to  inflate  his  net                                                                                      James,  who  campaigned
            worth,  to  deceive  banks                                                                                          for office as a Trump critic
            and  the  people  of  the                                                                                           and  watchdog,  started
            great  state  of  New  York,”                                                                                       scrutinizing   his   business
            James  said  at  the  news                                                                                          practices in March 2019 af-
            conference. “Claiming you                                                                                           ter his former personal law-
            have  money  that  you  do                                                                                          yer Michael Cohen testified
            not have does not amount                                                                                            to Congress that Trump ex-
            to  the  art  of  the  deal.  It’s                                                                                  aggerated his wealth on fi-
            the art of the steal.”                                                                                              nancial statements provid-
            James  said  her  investiga-                                                                                        ed to Deutsche Bank when
            tion   uncovered    poten-                                                                                          he  was  trying  to  obtain
            tial  criminal  violations,  in-                                                                                    financing  to  buy  the  NFL’s
            cluding  falsifying  business                                                                                       Buffalo Bills.
            records, issuing false finan-                                                                                       Since  then,  James’  office
            cial  statements,  insurance                                                                                        and  Trump’s  lawyers  have
            fraud,   conspiracy    and                                                                                          repeatedly  sparred  over
            bank  fraud.  She  said  her                                                                                        the  direction  of  the  inves-
            office is referring those find-                                                                                     tigation  and  Trump’s  un-
            ings to federal prosecutors                                                                                         willingness  to  comply  with
            and  the  Internal  Revenue   Donald  Trump,  right,  sits  with  his  children,  from  left,  Eric  Trump,  Donald  Trump  Jr.,  and  Ivanka   subpoenas for his testimony
            Service.                     Trump during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Trump International Hotel on July 23, 2014, in   and  records.  Trump  spent
                                         Washington.
            In a statement posted to his                                                                       Associated Press  months  fighting  the  sub-
            Truth Social platform, Trump                                                                                        poena  that  led  to  his  Au-
            called the lawsuit “Another                                                                                         gust deposition, his lawyers
            Witch  Hunt  by  a  racist  At-                                                                                     unable to convince courts
            torney General” and called  trustees, to bar Trump and  berg, who alone took more  tions,  where  Republicans  that he should be excused
            James,  who  is  Black,  “a  the  Trump  Organization  than $1.7 million in extras.    are trying to win control of  from testifying because his
            fraud who campaigned on  from entering into commer-       Weisselberg,  75,  pleaded  one or both houses of Con-    answers  could  be  used  in
            a ‘get Trump’ platform, de-  cial real estate acquisitions  guilty  Aug.  18.  His  plea  gress.                    Bragg’s criminal probe.
            spite the fact that the city is  for five years, from obtain-  agreement requires him to  Meanwhile, Trump has been  In May, Trump paid $110,000
            one of the crime and mur-    ing loans from banks in New  testify  at  the  company’s  laying the groundwork for a  in fines after he was held in
            der  disasters  of  the  world  York for five years and per-  trial before he starts a five-  potential comeback cam-  contempt  of  court  for  be-
            under her watch!”            manently  bar  Trump  and  month jail sentence. If con-   paign for president in 2024  ing  slow  to  respond  to  a
            Trump lawyer Alina Habba  three  of  his  adult  children  victed,  the  Trump  Organi-  and has accused President  subpoena  James’  office
            said  the  lawsuit  “is  neither  from  serving  as  an  officer  zation could face a fine of  Joe  Biden’s  administration  issued  seeking  documents
            focused  on  the  facts  nor  or director in any New York  double  the  amount  of  un-  of targeting him to hurt his  and  other  evidence.  The
            the law — rather, it is solely  corporation  or  similar  busi-  paid taxes.           political chances.           contempt finding was lifted
            focused on advancing the  ness entity registered and/     Manhattan District Attorney  State  law  allows  a  broad  in  June  after  Trump  and
            Attorney General’s political  or  licensed  in  New  York  Alvin Bragg has been con-   range  of  civil  remedies  his  lawyers  submitted  pa-
            agenda,”  accusing  James  State.                         ducting  a  parallel  criminal  against  companies  com-  perwork showing they had
            of  abusing  her  authority  She  also  seeks  to  perma-  investigation  of  the  same  mitting  commercial  fraud,  made a good faith effort to
            “by prying into transactions  nently bar Weisselberg and  business  practices  at  the  including  revoking  licenses  find relevant documents.q
            where absolutely no wrong-   McConney  from  serving  in  heart of James’ civil lawsuit.  to conduct business  in the
            doing has taken place.”      the  financial  control  func-  That probe lost momentum  state,  removing  company
            Habba said the allegations  tion  of  any  New  York  cor-  earlier this year after Bragg  officers  and  forcing  the
            in  the  lawsuit  are  “merit-  poration  or  similar  business  raised  questions  internally  payment  of  restitution  or
            less.”                       entity  registered  and/or  li-  about  whether  a  criminal  disgorgement  of  ill-gotten
            James is seeking to remove  censed in New York State.     case  was  viable,  but  the  gains.
            the Trumps from businesses  James’ lawsuit comes amid  Democrat  has  said  it  has  James’  office  could  also
            engaged  in  the  alleged  a  swirl  of  unprecedent-     not been abandoned.          seek  to  ban  Trump  from
            fraud  and  wants  an  in-   ed  legal  challenges  for  a  At  the  same  time,  the  FBI  being  involved  in  certain
            dependent  monitor  ap-      former  president,  includ-  is continuing to investigate  types of businesses, as hap-
            pointed for no less than five  ing an FBI investigation into  Trump’s storage of sensitive  pened  in  January  when  a
            years to oversee the Trump  Trump’s  handling  of  classi-  government   documents  judge barred ex-drug com-
            Organization’s     compli-   fied  records  and  inquiries  at  his  Mar-a-Lago  estate  pany  CEO  Martin  Shkreli   facebook.com/arubatoday/
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