The D.A. Wants To Launch An Investigation Into Trump And His Company Over Alleged Bank And Insurance Fraud

According to a new filing, the Manhattan district attorney’s office is launching a probe into DonaldTrump and his company over fraud.
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On Monday, the Manhattan DA’s office suggested that it would be launching an investigation into Trump and his company over possibly committing bank and insurance fraud. The suggestion to activate a probe came in a new court filing that stated Trump’s accountants should have to follow the rules of a grand jury subpoena, which seeks eight years of this personal and corporate tax returns, according to The New York Times. Trump has requested that a judge deem the subpoena invalid.

The specific details of the filing were not included, and prosecutors did not state exactly what they would be looking into, due to it being illegal to reveal for now. However, they said “undisputed” assertions in previous court papers and new findings of Trump’s business practices were enough to grant the DA’s office legal basis for their subpoena. But, prosecutors do cite a number of newspaper articles that highlight that Trump may have illegally inflated his net worth and the value of his properties to lenders and insurers. Another article that’s noted is one on Michael Cohen, which explained that he told lawmakers during his congressional testimony last year that Trump did, in fact, commit insurance fraud.

“In light of these public reports of possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization,” there was nothing done improperly with the subpoena, the filing states. If Trump is found guilty, he could be convicted of bank and insurance fraud – both are felonies. When asked about his thoughts about the investigation, Trump said it’s a “continuation of the worst witch hunt in American history.” He added, “It’s a terrible thing that they do. It’s really a terrible thing,” Trump said, referring to Democrats. For nearly two years, the investigation has gone on, and Trump has been battling with district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. over a subpoena for almost a year. The DA’s office said that the back and forth over the subpoena has slowed down the investigation process.

Vance subpoenaed Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, in August 2019 for the tax returns and other financial records that date back to 2011. Trump tried to block that subpoena at first, saying that he should be held exempt because he is the sitting president. But now, Trump maintains that he is innocent and claims the subpoena is politically motivated.