TISH v. TRUMP: NYAG Letitia James WINS ANOTHER ROUND against the Trump Organization
New York Attorney General Letitia James is continuing her 2022 winning streak after New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron refused to dismiss the state prosecutor’s $250 million lawsuit against Donald Trump for the deliberate reporting of fraudulent financial records and for illegal business practices.
Engoron called Trump’s countersuit “frivolous” and said that “sophisticated defense counsel should have known better,” than to make defense arguments that have already been rejected.
“The judge wrote that Trump’s team only repeated ‘frivolous’ claims, including that the case is part of a ‘witch hunt,’ and that those arguments were ‘borderline frivolous’ when they were first presented to him in disputes among Trump, the AG, and other parties,” wrote The Washington Post.
Attorney General James’ lawsuit seeks to prevent the Trump Organization from purchasing new real estate in the state of New York or obtaining new financing for projects over the next five years,
It also seeks to recoup a quarter-million dollars in what the state prosecutor’s office alleges are fraudulently received monies.
The Trump Organization is accused of inflating the values of real estate properties to secure loans and of deflating those values at tax time to evade paying what was due for a decade.
With a trial scheduled for October of this year, it will coincide with the beginnings of the 2024 presidential race.
Two months ago, the ex-President announced his bid for the Republican nomination for president to little enthusiasm or fanfare.
In a concurrent investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Trump Organization was found guilty on all criminal charges lobbied against the company – including tax fraud and falsifying records.
“We look forward to receiving a full and proper review of our arguments on appeal,” Trump attorney Alina Habba said.
Habba is no stranger to controversy herself after settling a lawsuit in September for racist rhetoric.
According to a former employee of the New Jersey-based lawyer’s firm, Habba referred to Attorney General James as “that Black B*tch,” The Daily Mail reported.
Donald Trump has a long history of gaming the system. The six-times bankrupt businessman may have fooled MAGA with tales of being a financial and business success, but he didn’t fool James, those seeking to hold him accountable for years of financial manipulations, nor Judge Engoron.
Let the legal games begin.
Original reporting by Shayna Jacobs at The Washington Post.
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