Category: Crime

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Crime Donald Trump The Trump Organization

Trump Ordered To Testify Under Oath In New York Fraud Investigation

Failed, one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump has been notified that he will have to sit for a sworn deposition in the civil fraud case against him in New York.

The Washington Post reports:

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a deposition from former president Donald Trump early next year as part of her investigation into potential fraud inside the Trump Organization, according to people familiar with the matter.

James has requested to take his testimony on Jan. 7 at her New York office as part of a civil investigation into whether Trump’s company committed financial fraud in the valuations of properties to different entities, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry is ongoing.

One of the people familiar with the investigation said James is examining whether widespread fraud “permeated the Trump Organization.”

Notified of the deposition date, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization used one of the ex-president’s favorite invocations whenever he’s being investigated:

“This is another political witch-hunt,” the statement said, noting that James is running for governor next year. “The only focus of the New York AG is to investigate Trump, all for her own political ambitions … This political prosecution is illegal, unethical and is a travesty to our great state and legal system.”

James is clearly turning up the heat on Trump, who is also under criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Vance suspects Trump and his company inflated the value of real estate assets in order to get larger loans from lenders and later devalued those same properties to avoid paying the required taxes. Bank and tax fraud are just two of the crimes under investigation by Vance.

The former president’s son, Eric, has given a deposition in the fraud investigation being conducted by James. He originally refused to sit for a deposition but later relented. That deposition was given in October of last year, shortly before American voters booted the Donald Trump from the White House and replaced him with President Joe Biden.

The danger of Trump giving a deposition cannot be overstated, according to biographer Tim O’Brien, who has written extensively about the ex-president:

“He can’t be scripted, and he’s injudicious, and he often doesn’t understand that the process is about events and facts, rather than being performance art.”

Categories
Crime Donald Trump

Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sexual Trafficking Trial Begins Monday – That’s Bad News For Donald Trump

 


On Monday in a Manhattan federal court, the trial of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, will begin with opening arguments in what could wind up giving the public a much better idea what sort of sordid underworld Epstein and his male friends — including former President Donald Trump — were part of, including allegations of sexually abusing and trafficking girls as young as 14.

According to NPR, the charges against Maxwell are indeed serious:

Maxwell has been in jail since her arrest in July 2020, when she was charged with enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy to commit both of those offenses, and perjury in connection with a sworn deposition.

If found guilty, Maxwell could wind up spending decades behind bars.

While testimony will likely focus on how Maxwell selected and groomed underage girls for Epstein and his friends to abuse, of special interest will be the book of contacts she kept over the years when she allegedly helped set up Epstein’s depraved assignations:

Prosecutors have said they will be using some parts of Maxwell’s book of contacts, which has captured the imaginations of followers of this case. Maxwell and Epstein moved in wealthy and famous circles, and there has been much speculation over whether some of their acquaintances participated in the alleged exploitation of young girls.

 

Among the men who were reportedly friends with Epstein and may have participated in the abuse of young girls is a list that reads like a who’s who of the rich and famous, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew of the British royal family. If prosecutors prove that any of those friends did indeed take part in the sexual assault and trafficking of underage girls, it could lead to new charges against any and all of them, which would prove to be especially worrisome for Trump, who is already facing legal investigations on multiple fronts and who says he has plans to run for president once again in 2024.

The most disturbing allegation ever made against Trump came from a girl who claimed he and Epstein repeatedly raped her when she was only 13:

Court documents spell out the alleged attack:

Jane Doe is an unnamed plaintiff, who has also gone by “Katie Johnson” in legal papers. She claims she was repeatedly raped by Trump and Jeffery Epstein at Epstein’s New York City apartment in 1994, when she was 13 years old. Shortly after this sexual assault by the Defendant, Jeffrey E. Epstein, on the Plaintiff, Katie Johnson, Plaintiff Johnson was still present while the two Defendants were arguing over who would be the one to take Plaintiff Johnson’s virginity. The Defendant, Donald J. Trump, was clearly heard referring to Defendant, Jeffrey E. Epstein, as a ‘Jew Bastard’ as he yelled at Defendant Epstein that clearly, he, Defendant Trump, should be the lucky one to ‘pop the cherry’ of Plaintiff Johnson.”

Johnson later withdrew her lawsuit, saying she he had been threatened and feared for her life if she continued:

Trump allegedly threatened to harm or kill Johnson and her family if she ever told anyone. Johnson said Trump told her he could make them “disappear” like Maria — a 12-year-old girl Johnson says Trump also forced her to have sexual contact with, and whom Johnson hadn’t seen since that encounter.

Does Maxwell have any information about Trump and the alleged rape of Katie Johnson? That could wind up coming out at her trial, and it remains a possibility that Maxwell may agree to cooperate with prosecutors once she sees the evidence against her.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump sits and waits to see if his name enters the public record as Maxwell faces the bar of justice.

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Crime Donald Trump WTF?!

Trump Claims He ‘Saved Kenosha’ As He Takes Credit For Kyle Rittenhouse’s Acquittal

According to failed, one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump, it’s a good thing he was in office when Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, because the city was saved and Rittenhouse was acquitted thanks to the brilliant actions of the Donald.

Speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump had this to say about the not guilty verdict handed down by a jury on Friday:

“I think that it was a great decision. I was sad it had to go this far. Somebody should have ended it earlier, and frankly the case should have never been brought. It was prosecutorial misconduct. … I was very happy to see (the not guilty verdict). A lot of people were very happy to see it — most people.”

Trump went on to accuse CNN and MSNBC of making the case about race:

“They were really trying to spew hatred. They’d love to see riots all over the place”

Like the riots that took place at the Capitol on January 6th when Trump urged his supporters to march on the building and make sure the electoral votes weren’t counted?

The ex-president also patted himself on the back for saving the city of Kenosha:

“We saved Kenosha very early. It was a horrible couple of nights. They got individual stores. The place didn’t burn down to the ground because we sent in a lot of good people.”

As usual, Trump wants us to believe that only he is capable of handling a crisis. Yet he failed to adequately control the COVID pandemic, repeatedly lied about the dangers of the virus, and even suggested it could be treated by injecting disinfectant or using bright light inside the body.

Every time he opens his big mouth, Donald Trump reminds us why voters overwhelmingly rejected him.

Here’s the video from Fox:

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Civil Rights Crime Justice Department

Kyle Rittenhouse Facing Federal Charges As DOJ Is Called On To Review Case

Accused Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty by a jury of his peers today, with NBC News reporting:

Rittenhouse was charged with reckless homicide in the slaying of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and intentional homicide in the death of Anthony Huber, 26.

He also faced a charge of attempted intentional homicide for severely wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, a 27-year-old paramedic from suburban Milwaukee who was there that night volunteering his medical services, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety.

But Rittenhouse is not in the clear legally. He could still face federal charges, and the Justice Department is being called on review the case and see if he should be charged.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted out a call for the DOJ to take a close look at Rittenhouse:


Specifically, Rittenhouse could face being charged with federal civil rights violations and a hate crime. That decision will have to be made by the DOJ, and it could impact future cases of this type when protesters are targeted by those who disagree with them.

So while Kyle Rittenhouse may be in the clear for the moment, there’s a very good chance he’s going to be back in court very soon, and his luck will eventually run out.

 

Categories
Crime Donald Trump The Trump Organization Uncategorized

New Grand Jury Seated In Manhattan As Case Against Trump Expands Again: Report

 

A second long-term grand jury has just been seated in Manhattan, according to the Washington Post, and the legal investigation of failed, one-term former President Donald Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, has expanded yet again.

The new grand jury, empaneled by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., will meet for three days a week over the next six months:

It was expected to hear evidence on Thursday, meeting in Manhattan’s Surrogate’s Court — usually a forum for disputes over the estates of the deceased — because the criminal court buildings are jammed with a rush of post-pandemic trials.

One person familiar with the matter said the second grand jury was expected to examine how former president Donald Trump’s company valued its assets.

The first grand jury investigated possible tax fraud by members of the Trump Organization, which resulted in the indictment of Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of Trump Organization who allegedly hid compensation from the IRS that was paid to them by the ex-president.

Trump and his company are also under investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James:

James (D) said in a court filing last year that her office was investigating Trump’s valuations of three properties: his Los Angeles golf course, a Manhattan office building and an estate in suburban New York called Seven Springs.

James’s filing said she was interested in a “conservation easement” that Trump obtained on the Seven Springs property in 2015 — giving him tax benefits in exchange for renouncing his right to build houses on part of the estate. Trump boosted the value of that tax break by estimating that the land would have brought him $21 million if he’d sold it.

The Trumps have repeatedly whined that they are being targeted by the legal system for political reasons, with Trump Org. Executive Vice President Eric Trump saying:

“This type of targeting and harassment violates every ethical guideline of a prosecutor. It’s wrong.”