Former President Donald Trump and some of his family members face fraud charges in New York.
New York State prosecutors are filing a civil lawsuit against former US President Donald Trump for fraud. Charges will also be brought against Trump’s company and his sons Donald Junior, Eric and Ivanka, Attorney General Letitia James announced in New York on Wednesday. Defendants reportedly increased or decreased their finances as needed to get loans more easily or pay less taxes.
Lawyer demands professional ban
“Donald Trump falsely inflated his fortune into billions of dollars to unfairly enrich himself and deceive the system – and, by extension, all of us,” James said. She led civil investigations into Trump’s corporate empire for three years and, according to Wednesday, spoke to 65 prosecution witnesses and reviewed “millions of documents”. Trump’s company denies the allegations.
The prosecutor is seeking $250 million in allegedly ill-gotten gains and a permanent ban on Trump and the nominated children from working as directors of a company incorporated in New York state.
In the United States, attorneys general generally belong to one party and are elected by the people in many states. James is a member of the Democratic Party and serves in the government of the state of New York. Trump, who belongs to the Republican Party, has repeatedly described the process as politically motivated and called it a “witch hunt”.