In Manhattan this week, former U.S. President Donald Trump stood trial in a civil case involving allegations of fraud, marking another court appearance amidst an intricate web of legal proceedings. The trial, valued at $250 million, could potentially result in the forfeiture of valuable assets such as Trump Tower, if found guilty.
Unlike the multiple criminal indictments against him, this civil case does not carry the risk of a felony conviction or imprisonment. However, it serves to highlight another chapter in the ongoing legal saga surrounding Trump.
The lawsuit, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges that Trump and his real estate business, the Trump Organization, engaged in a scheme to misrepresent asset values over a period of more than a decade. The alleged deceit is said to have inflated property values to secure loans and obtain economic benefits.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in all criminal cases against him, referring to the ongoing investigations as a "witch hunt." Despite this, each trial presents a unique narrative.
In addition to the New York civil case, Trump faces charges related to his pre-presidency conduct, including a hush money scheme that allegedly helped secure his victory in the 2016 election. During his presidency, he is accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, and post-presidency, he has been investigated for his handling of classified material and alleged attempts to hide it from the National Archives.
As these complex legal proceedings unfold, the public awaits their resolution and any potential impact on Trump's future political endeavors.
Title: Multi-Jurisdictional Legal Battles Engulf Trump
In a series of legal proceedings, former U.S. President Donald J. Trump faces multiple lawsuits in various federal courts.
On September 2022, Trump initiated a $250 million lawsuit alleging fraud committed by himself and co-defendants in the inflating of assets on financial statements for better terms on commercial real estate loans and insurance policies. Judge Arthur Engoron previously ruled that Trump and his adult sons are liable for fraud in inflating the values of golf courses, hotels, and homes on financial statements to secure loans. The trial will assess damages against Trump and the implications of Engoron's decision to revoke Trump's New York business licenses.
In a separate civil matter, a federal jury in Manhattan found Trump liable for defamation against E. Jean Carroll in May 2022, awarding her approximately $5 million. A subsequent trial will determine the financial compensation owed by Trump. This case is scheduled for January 15, 2023, coinciding with the Iowa Republican caucuses, the initial date on the presidential primary calendar.
In the District of Columbia, a federal grand jury indicted Trump in August 2022 as part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into post-2020 election matters. Trump pleaded not guilty upon his arraignment in a Washington D.C. courtroom. The case involves a scheme to create slates of fake electors in states won by President Joe Biden. Judge Tanya Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee, previously dismissed Trump's request for recusal from the case in late September 2022. Chutkan has overseen both civil and criminal cases related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
International News: Convicted Rioters' Sentences Requested Ahead of Super Tuesday; Trump Faces Criminal Charges in Two Cases
Washington D.C., New York City, and Atlanta - In a significant development, the U.S. Department of Justice has requested prison sentences for individuals convicted in connection with the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Simultaneously, former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges in two separate cases: one in Manhattan related to a hush money payment scheme, and another in Fulton County, Georgia, regarding efforts to overturn election results.
In New York City, a trial date has been set for March 3, 2024 - the day before Super Tuesday, when the largest batch of presidential primaries will occur. The trial marks the first of Trump's criminal cases expected to proceed. The former president has been charged in Manhattan criminal court with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his role in a hush money payment scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels late in the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors accuse Trump of concealing $130,000 in payments made by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to guarantee Daniels' silence about an alleged affair. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is using racketeering violations to charge a broad criminal conspiracy against Trump and 18 others in their efforts to overturn Biden's victory in Georgia. The probe was launched in 2021 following Trump's call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the president pushed the Republican official to "find" votes to overturn the election results. The August indictment includes allegations of misleading state officials, organizing fake electors, harassing an election worker, and breaching election equipment in rural Coffee County, Georgia. One co-defendant, bail bondsman Scott Hall, has pleaded guilty to five counts in the case. Fulton County prosecutors have signaled they may seek additional indictments.
Both cases against Trump are ongoing, with further court dates scheduled for February and beyond.
In a significant development, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, an associate of Donald Trump, has received a subpoena from federal prosecutor Cyrus Vance Jr., amid an ongoing investigation into alleged mishandling of classified material by the former president. Kerik, who was issued the subpoena this week, has requested immunity in exchange for his testimony.
The trial for two co-defendants is scheduled to commence this month and could last between three to five months. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges related to the matter, does not have a set trial date yet. The investigation centers on sensitive documents that were reportedly taken to Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, following his term as president, which ended in January 2021.
According to Vance, at least 15 boxes of White House records, including classified documents, were recovered from Mar-a-Lago by the National Archives, an organization responsible for collecting and sorting presidential material. Additionally, Trump was caught on tape discussing holding secret documents without declassifying them during a meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2021.
In a superseding indictment, Vance added three additional counts against Trump, alleging that he and his employees attempted to delete security footage from Mar-a-Lago sought by the grand jury investigating the matter. The trial is not expected until May, following the conclusion of most presidential primaries.
Separately, in December, a New York jury convicted Trump's namesake business, the Trump Organization, of criminal tax fraud, grand larceny, and falsifying business records, in what prosecutors claim was a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation provided to employees. The trial highlighted a case of "greed and cheating," as laid out by Manhattan prosecutors during the proceedings.
International News: High-Level Trump Organization Executives Receive Non-Taxable Perks; Former CFO Pleads Guilty
In a development related to the Trump Organization, it has been reported that high-level executives have received perks such as luxury cars and apartments without paying taxes on them. Allen Weisselberg, former Chief Financial Officer of the organization, pleaded guilty to his role in the tax scheme. After serving four months in jail at Rikers Island, he was released.
Separately, several members of the US Capitol Police and Washington, DC Metropolitan Police are suing Donald Trump. The lawsuits allege that Trump's words and actions incited the January 6, 2021 riot. The cases accuse Trump of directing assault and battery, aiding and abetting assault and battery, and violating Washington laws prohibiting the incitement of riots and disorderly conduct.
In August, Trump requested a stay in the lawsuit related to the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, citing his various criminal trials. The estate of Sicknick, who died after responding to the attack on the Capitol, is suing two rioters involved in the attack and Trump for his alleged role in incitement. Other lawsuits have been put on hold while a federal appeals court considers whether Trump had absolute immunity as the sitting president.
Meanwhile, Peter Strzok, former top FBI counterintelligence official who was fired in 2018 after texts criticizing Trump were revealed, has sued the Justice Department. He alleges that he was terminated improperly. In summer 2017, Robert Mueller, then-special counsel, removed Strzok from his team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election following an internal investigation revealing texts with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page that could be read as exhibiting political bias. Trump repeatedly and publicly called for Strzok’s ouster.
In a significant legal development, former U.S. President Donald Trump faces a scheduled deposition this month as part of a dismissed lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and several ex-FBI officials, among others. The suit, originally filed in August 2018, alleges a conspiracy to undermine Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with fabricated information linking him to Russia.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks dismissed the lawsuit, stating that it lacked substance and legal support. Trump subsequently appealed the decision but also faced sanctions totaling nearly $1 million for bringing the case, as ruled by Judge Middlebrooks.
Trump attempted a last-ditch effort to revive the lawsuit in July, relying on a recent report from Special Counsel John Durham that criticized the FBI's investigation into Trump-Russia ties. Meanwhile, Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, sued Trump and others in 2020, alleging retaliation for promoting his book. Cohen claimed he was sent back to prison to prevent him from conducting an anti-Trump social media campaign during summer 2020 while serving his sentence for lying to Congress and campaign violations at home due to Covid-19 concerns.
However, a federal judge dismissed Cohen's lawsuit in November, citing Supreme Court precedent as the reason for barring the case from moving forward. Additionally, Trump filed a lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward in January over alleged copyright violations.
In a legal development, acclaimed investigative journalist Bob Woodward has released unauthorized audio recordings from interviews with former President Donald Trump, conducted for his book "Rage," published in September 2020. The recordings, compiled in an audiobook titled "The Trump Tapes," feature eight hours of raw interviews interspersed with Woodward's commentary.
Trump has since filed lawsuits against various parties, including The New York Times, CNN, and his niece Mary Trump. In a recent turn of events, a federal judge in Florida dismissed Trump's $475 million lawsuit against CNN, claiming the network did not defame him by using the phrase "Big Lie" and allegedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
In a separate ruling, a New York judge dismissed The New York Times from Trump's lawsuit regarding disclosure of his tax returns and ordered Trump to pay the newspaper's legal fees. Despite this, Trump continues to pursue litigation against Mary Trump over the disclosure of tax documents. Mary Trump had previously attempted to sue Trump for defrauding her out of millions following the death of his father, but the suit was dismissed.
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