James announced on Monday via social media that Eric Trump, the second son of US President Donald Trump and current executive responsible for all operations and management of the Trump Organization, is now at the center of a lawsuit filed on Friday in the Manhattan-based New York Supreme Court.
“The Trump Organization has stalled, withheld documents, and instructed witnesses, including Eric Trump, to refuse to answer questions under oath,” she said in a series of tweets on August 24, accusing the company of refusing to comply with the office’s subpoenas “for months.”
“That's why we filed a motion to compel the Trump Organization to comply with our lawful subpoenas for documents and testimony.”
She noted that the office’s probe initially began after Michael Cohen, the US president’s former personal attorney, revealed in sworn testimony before Congress that “Trump’s annual financial statements inflated the values of his assets to obtain favorable terms for loans & insurance coverage, while also deflating the value of other assets to reduce real estate taxes.”
As a result of the disgraced attorney’s testimony, James’ office is now seeking “thousands of documents,” as well as testimonies from Eric Trump and others believed to have knowledge of “Trump Organization properties and transactions.”
“Nothing will stop us from following the facts and the law, wherever they may lead,” she concluded. “These questions will be answered and the truth will be uncovered, because no one is above the law.”
According to the full news release on the matter, the four properties under investigation are: Seven Springs Estate, a 60-room mansion in Westchester County, New York; 40 Wall Street, the 71-story, Manhattan-based “Trump Building”; Trump International Hotel and Tower of Chicago, Illinois; and California’s Trump National Golf Club - Los Angeles.
“Valuations of Seven Springs were used to claim an apparent $21.1 million tax deduction for donating a conservation easement on the property in tax year 2015, and in submissions to financial institutions as a component of Mr. Trump’s net worth,” James detailed in her 68-page memorandum republished by Courthouse News Service.
In addition to his EVP title for the Trump Organization, Eric Trump is listed as president of Seven Springs LLC.
“In recent weeks, Eric Trump has refused to appear entirely to give testimony pursuant to a subpoena, despite his being an important character in certain transactions,” the release detailed, noting that the EVP’s refusal to cooperate has come alongside his acknowledgment of the office’s legal authority to investigate the matter.
