Trump’s real estate appraiser has turned over nearly 36,000 documents to the New York Attorney General after he was scorned for refusing to cooperate in civil investigations into his tax deals
- Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield was flouted last month and fined $10,000 a day for failing to comply with a subpoena
- The Democratic Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, has been investigating the Trump Organization since March 2019 on allegations of tax fraud
- In a letter to the presiding judge, prosecutors revealed that Cushman was cooperating and called for the contempt charges and associated fines to be dropped
- James claimed to have uncovered “substantial evidence” of tax fraud
- Trump and his two eldest children were due to be deposed on July 15
- The deaths of his first wife and her mother, Ivana Trump, forced it to relocate
- Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump have since spoken to prosecutors
A real estate firm that appraised a number of Trump Organization properties has turned over nearly 36,000 documents to New York Attorney General Letitia James, court documents show.
Commercial real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield faced scorn last month after failing to comply with a subpoena from James’ office.
In addition to the contempt order, New York County Superior Court Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a $10,000 fine for each day the company failed to comply with James’ subpoena.
The Democratic official’s office investigated Donald Trump’s real estate empire in March 2019 over allegations that the company knowingly used misleading financial information in its business deals.
James’ team claims to have uncovered “substantial evidence” of tax fraud going back more than a decade in the ongoing civil investigation.
And last Friday, prosecutor Austin Thompson said in a letter to Engoron that they “received Cushman’s production, totaling approximately 35,867 documents since receiving this court’s contempt order.”
Although there are no details on the documents, the August 5 letter indicates that they are more than satisfied with what Cushman & Wakefield has delivered.
Donald Trump’s family business has been under investigation by New York City Attorneys since March 2019
Thompson wrote to Engoron that the real estate company “completely complied” with James’ subpoena and urged the judge to vacate the contempt charges “with no fines due or owing.”
The latest court filing was first reported by NBC News.
DailyMail.com has reached out to James’ office for comment.
James’ office is investigating whether to file a civil suit against the Trump Organization for allegedly increasing the value of its properties to obtain cheap credit and business, and then undercutting those valuations to pay less taxes.
AG Letitia James claims to have uncovered “substantial evidence” of tax fraud in the ongoing civil investigation
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, denouncing James’ investigation as a “witch hunt” and James himself as a “racist.”
Cushman and Wakefield’s subpoena included “comps” in addition to Trump’s property so the court can try to see how it compares to others.
The process continues, even as Trump signals that he could announce a possible 2024 presidential campaign early.
His son Eric Trump testified in January, invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 500 times, according to James’ office.
The case also involved a subpoena battle over the president’s children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., for their testimony, in addition to Trump himself.
The trio’s previously agreed interrogation date of July 15 was abruptly pushed back after the sudden death of Trump’s first wife and the mother of his three eldest children, Ivana Trump.
No new date was publicly offered, but people familiar with the investigation told NBC News earlier this month that Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump have sat down with prosecutors in the weeks since their mother’s death.
None of them reportedly invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination while testifying under oath.
According to Thursday’s report, the former president is set to be deposed in the coming weeks.
