Former President Donald Trump encountered a significant setback in the civil case against his real estate empire. Trump’s legal team aimed to have the suit dismissed based on the statute of limitations but their efforts faced a stern rebuke from the court.
Judge Denounces Repeated False Statements
The judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, reproached Trump’s attorneys for persistently presenting arguments that had already been rejected. Trump’s lawyers contended that the case boiled down to prosecuting defendants for successful business transactions, a viewpoint dismissed by the judge.
Attorney General Letitia James
Attorney General Letitia James of New York State sought to hold the Trump Organization accountable for submitting fraudulent financial statements. James, who had campaigned in 2018 with a promise to target Trump, alleged that the former president had inflated his net worth by up to $3.6 billion to secure loans and insurance.
Bogus Property Valuations
The lawsuit focused on Trump’s manipulation of financial statements from 2011 to 2021 to secure more favorable loan terms. This included overstating the value of properties like his penthouse at Trump Tower and his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The valuation of the penthouse was reportedly exaggerated by claiming it was three times its actual size and Mar-a-Lago was falsely described as an unrestricted property for development.
A $250 Million Fine
Attorney General James wants the judge to find the former president liable before a jury can hear all of the evidence, aiming to impose a $250 million fine on the Trump Organization. She argues that the potential felon’s actions damaged fairness in the marketplace.
Cherry-Picked Appraisals
Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise, accused the attorney general’s office of selectively choosing building appraisals to tarnish the former president’s reputation. Judge Engoron, visibly frustrated, warned of potential sanctions against Trump’s legal team.
Trump’s Frustration and Trial Date
Trump, in an attempt to expedite proceedings, filed a lawsuit against Judge Engoron, alleging undue delay in narrowing the scope of the case. The trial is now scheduled to commence in October, setting the stage for a legal showdown.
The Internet’s Response
News of Trump’s setback was shared across the internet and people flocked to comment sections to give their views. One person said: “Just put him in jail already and let’s get on with fixing this garbage that he created and get on with what is important to the survival of our country!”
Overestimating and Underestimating
Another commenter wrote: “Not only does he overestimate the value of his holdings for better interest rates, he severely underestimates the same holdings to avoid paying the proper tax. When the notes come due, another bankruptcy.”
A Favorable Tax Evaluation
One person echoed the aforementioned commenter but went into more detail. They said: “If I understand correctly, Trump would value a property extremely high in order to inflate his worth to get a loan. Then, a short time later, he would protest the PVA’s assessment of the same property and claim its value should be much lower in order to get a favorable tax evaluation and pay lower taxes.”
All for Personal Gain
The commenter continued: “The fact is that he made false claims – because both of his valuations could not be true – and declared different values for the same property to manipulate loans and taxes for personal gain.”
A Felonious Mind
Others discussed Trump’s 2024 presidential election prospects. “A felonious mind is criminally underrated. There is no one with a known history of criminal intent who can or should lead a democracy,” one commenter wrote.
King of the Losers
Some people discussed the way Trump’s legal team never seems to have a good argument. One individual, throwing in some insults for good measure, said: “His attorneys seem to always be outmatched and their arguments promptly shut down. Losers lose and Trump is king of them all.”
A Suggestion for the Future
One commenter suggested changes that could be implemented to prevent similar crimes from happening again. They wrote: “This case would not be needed if the state of New York had declared the tax value of the property instead of allowing property values to be estimated by the property owner.”
The Jail House
Another person wrote: “Donny has committed over 90 felonies – including a stupid attempt at overthrowing the entire U.S. government. If Donny doesn’t go to jail, then no one in America should ever go to jail. Jails are built to house felons. Donny is a felon many times over. Donny must go to jail. Donny is headed for the Jail House, not the White House.”
The Statute of Limitations
Others discussed the former president’s attempt to get the case dismissed with the statute of limitations. “Trump is admitting guilt but saying it’s too late to hold him accountable. Got it,” one person said. “He’s admitting guilt then?” another echoed.
Trump Is a Child
Another person wrote: “Trump and his attorneys are liars and this states that clearly. [Repeatedly] saying the same lies that court after court has said are lies does not make what they are saying the truth. Trump is a little child who has always gotten his way whether it has been legal or not and now he is going to have to finally be held accountable for over four decades of committing crimes in his business practice.”
Successful Business Transactions
Responding to the claim that the case boiled down to prosecuting defendants for successful business transactions, one person wrote: “When has Trump ever been a successful businessman? He’s had more bankruptcies and lost more money than the next 10 worst businessmen combined!”
A Political Plot
Trump’s fans didn’t often show up in comment sections relating to the issue. When they did, however, they held very different opinions from the aforementioned individuals. One said: “These journalists would convict anyone without a court decision. How do these people know? He has won plenty of decisions so far and will continue to win. The charges are a sham and designed to stop his presidential run. It is a pure political plot.”
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