R&I – FS
A New York judge has held Donald Trump in contempt and fined him $10,000 a day, following the former president’s failure to hand over documents to prosecutors investigating his business practices. Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, had asked for the contempt finding this month stating that Trump had not complied with a subpoena requiring him to produce documents and information.
James’ civil investigation has focused on whether the Trump Organization misstated the values of its real estate properties to obtain favourable loans and tax deductions. Earlier in April James said investigators had found “significant evidence” of wrongdoing. In a court filing then, the New York attorney general said Trump failed to abide by his earlier agreement to comply “in full” with her subpoena for documents and information by 31 March. On Monday, Judge Arthur Engoron, a New York state supreme court judge, agreed with James that Trump was in contempt of court.
“Mr Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 a day,” Engoron said in a hearing. James previously said her investigation had found evidence suggesting that for more than a decade the company’s financial statements “relied on misleading asset valuations and other misrepresentations to secure economic benefits. The judge’s order was crystal clear: Donald J Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office,” James said in a statement.
James’s three-year investigation and a parallel criminal inquiry led by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, have focused on whether the Trump Organization misstated the values of its real estate properties to obtain favourable loans and tax deductions. Bragg has been dogged, however, by resignations by senior prosecutors involved in the case, while insisting his investigation was continuing. Trump’s legal woes are rapidly engulfing him.
On Monday, James said in a statement after Engoron’s ruling: “Today, justice prevailed. For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his company’s financial dealings. Today’s ruling makes clear: no one is above the law.”
Rawr
Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/25/donald-trump-contempt-new-york-attorney-general-investigation