New York lawyer normal investigates Trump Group for crimes

The office of the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, which was already conducting a civil investigation into the company of former President Donald Trump, is now also investigating the Trump organization “in a criminal capacity,” its spokesman said on Tuesday evening.

James’ spokesman implied that their investigation into the ongoing criminal investigation against Trump and the Trump Organization is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Cyrus Vance Jr.

James’ two-year-old civil investigation targeted allegations that the Trump Organization manipulated the reported property value to lower its tax bill and obtain better terms on loans and insurance.

Vance’s office has been investigating the same allegations first made in Congress by Michael Cohen, who served as Trump’s personal attorney for years. Vance’s probe also focuses on other issues.

“We have informed the Trump organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer of a purely civil nature,” said James’ spokesman Fabien Levy.

“We are now actively investigating the Trump organization in a criminal capacity with the Manhattan Attorney’s Office. We have no additional comment at this time,” Levy said.

In late 2019, James scored a legal victory over Trump when a judge ordered him to pay $ 2 million to settle an attorney general’s case for abusing his Trump Foundation, a charity, to aid his 2016 presidential campaign against Others Illegal activity for more than a decade.

The Trump Foundation had previously agreed in December 2018 to liquidate its remaining funds and donate to charity, while the AG’s investigation into the foundation continued.

CNBC has made efforts to solicit Trump’s spokesman and the Trump organization for an opinion on the current AG’s criminal investigation.

Trump, a Republican, previously described both investigations as witch hunts by two Democratic officials.

James filed an ultimately successful lawsuit last August that forced Trump’s son Eric Trump to answer questions as part of their investigation. Eric Trump heads the Trump Organization with his brother Donald Trump Jr.

According to reports, the investigators of the AG have also deposed Allen Weisselberg, the long-time CFO of the Trump organization. Vance’s investigation recently looked into Weisselberg and his two adult sons, one of whom works for the Trump Organization.

One of the real estate holdings James is known to have an eye on is Seven Springs Estate, a 212 acre property in Westchester County, New York.

The Trump Organization used the Seven Springs valuations to claim an apparent tax deduction of more than $ 21 million by donating a property conservation effort in 2015.

In 2019, the Financial Times found that Trump bought Seven Springs for $ 7.5 million in 1996, but was worth more than $ 290 million in 2012.

2014 Forbes magazine said the property was worth less than $ 19.5 million. Recent real estate sales as well as local brokers and appraisers were cited.

James’ office is also investigating ratings of the Trump Building on 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, and the Trump National Golf Club – Los Angeles.

In a statement released in August, James said, “Nothing will stop us from following the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

James at the time accused the Trump organization of stalling requests for information, withholding documents and instructing witnesses under Eric Trump to “refuse to answer questions under oath”.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final motion from ex-President Trump to prevent Vance investigators from submitting years of tax returns and other financial records from his longtime accountants through a grand jury subpoena.