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Legal threats against Donald Trump and his business empire have intensified after the New York Attorney General indicated that a lengthy investigation by these entities led to possible criminal and not just civil misconduct.
The investigation, led by Letitia James, the state attorney general, is part of a prosecution in two directions of Trump and his business. The other is run by Cyrus Vance’s office, the Manhattan District Attorney, which most commonly focuses on criminal matters rather than civil.
A James spokesman said, “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer of a purely civilian nature. We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity along with the Manhattan DA.”
In a lengthy statement, Trump dismissed the polls as “the largest political witch hunt in U.S. history.”
“There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation into a crime,” said the former president, who said the investigations were calculated to prevent him from submitting another bid for the White House.
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of the foci of investigation, according to people reported on the subject, is whether the company committed fraud by inflating the value of certain properties to secure bank loans and minimize them to reduce its taxes.
Investigations emerged from 2018 reports that Michael Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, had arranged for “silent” money payments for women who claimed to have had extramarital affairs with Trump. Cohen, to whom he was convicted three years in prison after pleading guilty to several federal charges, he told Congress that he was later reimbursed for Trump Organization funds that were recorded as legal fees.
One person informed of James’ investigation said the focus on criminal matters did not rule out the possibility that it could still lead to civil charges.
Both offices have recently received help from the ex-daughter-in-law of Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
It’s not uncommon for the attorney general’s office to notify a party when a civil case has been referred for criminal investigation, said Michael Bachner, a New York defense attorney.
Bachner said it was unclear whether James and Vance were prosecuting the same criminal charge or others.
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