Donald Trump, his children, and his businesses are being sued for fraud by New York’s attorney general.
Attorney General Letitia James filed the more than 200-page lawsuit Wednesday following a three-year investigation alleging former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, and the Trump Organization “deceived lenders, insurers and tax authorities by inflating the value of his properties using misleading appraisals,” according to CNN.
James, a Democrat, further claimed this fraud permeated all facets of Trump’s business, with the complaint seeking $250 million in damages and pursuing all named parties to be banned from “serving as an officer of a company in New York,” CNBC reports.
“Mr. Trump’s Statements of Financial Condition for the period 2011 through 2021 were fraudulent and misleading in both their composition and presentation,” stated the lawsuit, which also seeks to have a judge immediately revoke the Trump Organization’s business certificate.
Alina Habba, an attorney for Donald Trump, released a statement to CBS News in response to the lawsuit:
“[T]oday’s filing is neither focused on the facts nor the law – rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda.”
Habba’s statement went on to allege the New York A.G. of exceeding “its statutory authority” and refuted any claims of wrongdoing on the part of Donald Trump, calling the allegations “meritless.” Habba further characterized James’ lawsuit as an “unchecked abuse of authority.”
According to the complaint, the Trump Organization is being accused of making false statements more than 200 times regarding its valuation. For example, James’ office said a dozen rent-controlled apartments the company owns were listed in paperwork as being valued at more than $49.5 million, even though the actual combined value — according to an appraisal — was allegedly only $750,000.
