The New York attorney general’s office said late Tuesday it uncovered a swath of evidence that former President Donald Trump and his company falsely valued assets to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions.
The findings came in court papers asking a judge to order Mr. Trump and two of his adult children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., to comply with civil subpoenas for its fraud investigation. Attorney General Letitia James’s office said while it hadn’t reached a conclusion about whether to take legal action, the grounds for the investigation were “self evident.”
“Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit,” Ms. James, a Democrat, said.
A lawyer for the Trumps couldn’t be reached. The Trumps have asked a judge to quash the subpoenas or put them on hold until a parallel criminal case has concluded. Lawyers for the Trumps have argued that any information the attorney general’s lawyers gained through depositions could be improperly used in the criminal investigation, which the Manhattan district attorney’s office is conducting alongside lawyers from the attorney general’s office.
The office has said its investigation began in March 2019, after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Mr. Trump deflated his assets to decrease real estate taxes and inflated them to gain financial benefits.
Ms. James’s office said it determined that Mr. Trump made inaccurate statements in his statements of financial condition, a collection of financial information compiled but not audited by his accountants that contained values for properties and assets.
The inaccuracies pertained to Trump properties including Seven Springs, an estate north of New York City; Mr. Trump’s triplex apartment in Trump Tower; and the Trump International Golf Club Scotland, the attorney general’s office said.
To value Mr. Trump’s apartment, the statements based a calculation on the assertion that the triplex was 30,000 square feet, despite the actual size being 10,996 square feet, the attorney general’s office said. The 2015 and 2016 statements valued the apartment at $327 million, based on the 30,000 square foot size, according to the office.
The attorney general’s office said its evidence showed banks and financial institutions relied on the statements when determining whether to grant Mr. Trump and his company loans and insurance.
Write to Corinne Ramey at [email protected]
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Appeared in the January 19, 2022, print edition as ‘Evidence Of Trump Fraud Is Alleged.’
