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☆ Trump’s former ‘thug’ Michael Cohen set for trial-defining testimony in hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen’s testimony is set to be the critical moment of the hush money trial that could make Trump the first ex-president to be convicted of a crime. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump go to prison. He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump’s family go to prison. He has talked extensively about President Trump getting convicted in this case,” Blanche said. While the hush money trial harks back to the 2016 election, its end game could play a significant role in the destiny of the White House eight years later.

Persons: CNN — Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s “, Trump, Stormy Daniels, —, Cohen, Daniels, ” Cohen, “, Matthew Colangelo, “ Cohen, ”, ” Colangelo, Anthony Scaramucci, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Todd Blanche, Trump’s, ” Blanche, John Dean, Roy Cohn, He’s, Judge Juan Merchan, Fani Willis, Joe Biden, he’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Trump Organization, House, Nixon White, “ CNN, Mr, Fulton, White House, GOP Locations: Russia, New York, Florida, Fulton County

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the Trump Organization civil fraud trial, in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., November 6, 2023. Trump's testimony wrapped up in midafternoon. Over roughly four hours on the witness stand, Trump often avoided direct answers, instead bragging about his properties and his wealth. New York state lawyers said in their lawsuit that the estimates misled lenders and insurers, earning him more than $100 million and exaggerating his wealth by $2 billion. At one point when Trump was on the stand, Engoron asked Kise to take Trump to the back of the courtroom and "explain the rules."

Persons: Donald Trump, Eduardo Munoz, Arthur Engoron, Trump, Engoron, Christopher Kise, Ivanka, Letitia James, Alina Habba, I've, James, Kise, Eric, Donald Jr, Michael Cohen, Trump's, Jack Queen, Luc Cohen, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, Trump Organization, Court, REUTERS Acquire, Companies Trump Organization, Trump, Republican, New, Deutsche Bank, Mar, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, midafternoon, Doral, Florida, Springs, United States

☆ Donald Trump Jr. set to testify at $250 million New York fraud trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of development and acquisitions for Trump Organization Inc., speaks at the Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son and co-defendant of former President Donald Trump, is expected to take the stand on Wednesday in the $250 million civil fraud trial in New York of his father, brother and business. Trump Jr. and his brother Eric Trump took control of the Trump Organization as executive vice presidents when their father was elected president in 2017. Trump Jr. is scheduled to take the stand in the afternoon, the first of four members of the Trump family who are expected to testify in the trial. Trump Sr. lashed out at Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron in a Truth Social post early Wednesday morning.

Persons: Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trump, Letitia James, James, Trump, Eric Trump, Arthur Engoron Organizations: Trump Organization Inc, New York, Trump Jr, Trump Organization, Manhattan Locations: West Palm Beach , Florida, New York

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified on Tuesday that he manipulated the values of the former U.S. president's real estate properties to match "whatever number Mr. Trump told us." Testifying as a key witness in New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud case against Trump, Cohen said Trump tasked him and other former Trump Organization executives with doctoring financial statements to boost the value of the company's holdings and secure better real estate premiums. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom when the trial ended for the day, Trump called Cohen a "disgraceful fellow." During about a half hour of cross-examination on Tuesday, Cohen - a disbarred lawyer - rattled off case law to support an objection by the attorney general to a question by Trump lawyer Alina Habba. James is seeking at least $250 million in fines, a permanent ban against Trump and his sons Donald Jr and Eric from running businesses in New York and a five-year commercial real estate ban against Trump and the Trump Organization.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Michael Cohen, Trump, Letitia James, Cohen, I'm, intently, Allen Weisselberg, James, Donald, COHEN, Colleen Faherty, Alina Habba, Nixon, Richard Nixon, Arthur Engoron, Engoron, Donald Jr, Eric, Jack Queen, Luc Cohen, Noeleen Walder, Nick Zieminski, Lisa Shumaker, Rod Nickel Organizations: Companies Trump Organization, Trump, Trump Organization, Democrat, Court, REUTERS, Supreme, Thomson Locations: U.S, New, New York, Manhattan, New York City, Russia, United States

☆ Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial: What’s at stake?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The judge in the case, Justice Arthur Engoron, ruled on Sept. 26 that James had proven Trump and his co-defendants fraudulently inflated his assets. Trump does not face any criminal penalties in the civil case but could suffer substantial financial and business consequences. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO TRUMP'S BUSINESS EMPIRE? Trump's lawyers have disputed James' figures, saying they are based on flawed accounting methods that fail to consider Trump's "investment genius" in arriving at his own asset valuations. In a post on his Truth Social platform the day of the ruling, Trump called accusations that he committed fraud "ridiculous and untrue," and blasted Engoron as a "DERANGED" judge.

Persons: Donald Trump, Letitia James, Trump, Mike Segar, James ’, Arthur Engoron, James, TRUMP, Donald Jr, Eric, Jack Queen, Noeleen Walder, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Trump Tower, New York, Trump Organization, REUTERS, Companies Trump Organization, Democratic New York, TRUMP, Trump, Thomson Locations: New, New York City, U.S, New York

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower to give a deposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued Trump and his Trump Organization, in New York City, U.S., April 13, 2023. James has accused Trump of repeatedly lying in financial statements to obtain better terms on loans and insurance. Last week, Trump accused James of ignoring the decision and Engoron of refusing to implement it, and said the trial should be delayed. She said even a brief delay "would likely wreak havoc" on the trial and other trials that Trump faces. James' lawsuit seeks to bar Trump and his adult sons Donald Jr. And Eric from running businesses in New York.

Persons: Donald Trump, Letitia James, Trump, Mike Segar, Donald Trump's, Letitia James's, James, Arthur Engoron, Trump's, Ivanka Trump, Engoron, Donald Jr, Eric, Karen Freifeld, Jonathan Stempel, Daniel Wallis, Chizu Organizations: U.S, Trump Tower, New York, Trump Organization, REUTERS, Companies Trump Organization, Trump, Thomson Locations: New, New York City, U.S, New York, Manhattan, Lago, Florida

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowWASHINGTON/NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, has settled his lawsuit accusing the Trump Organization of failing to cover millions of dollars of legal bills he incurred over his work for the former U.S. president. Cohen and a lawyer for the Trump Organization issued statements that the matter "has been resolved in a manner satisfactory to all parties." Once a strong supporter of Trump, Cohen is now a vocal critic, whose 2020 memoir "Disloyal" was a New York Times bestseller. He claimed that the Trump Organization reneged on its agreement to paying his bills after he began cooperating with several probes into his work for the former president. Despite Friday's settlement, Cohen is expected to be a star prosecution witness against Trump in a criminal trial next March.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Cohen, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Democrat Joe Biden, Karen Freifeld, Katharine Jackson, Ismail Shakil, Jonathan Stempel, Kanishka Singh, Doina Chiacu, Daniel Wallis, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Companies Trump Organization Inc, WASHINGTON, Trump Organization, Trump, New York Times, Republican, White, Democrat, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, Florida, Washington ,

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowWASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is expected to settle his lawsuit against the Trump Organization over missed reimbursements of legal fees and costs, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. Cohen originally sued in March 2019 to recoup $1.9 million in fees, plus $1.9 million he was ordered to forfeit in a criminal case. The fees kept growing, and the Trump Organization has paid some of them, court papers show. The New York Times reported the proposed settlement earlier on Friday. Cohen, a longtime employee of the firm and of Trump, became a critic of the former president and testified that Trump had directed him to break the law.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Trump, Karen Freifield, Katharine Jackson, Ismail Shakil, Kanishka Singh, Doina Organizations: Companies Trump Organization Inc, WASHINGTON, Trump Organization, Reuters, New York Times, Times, Trump, Thomson Locations: Trump, Russia

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowJune 20 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's bid to oust the judge overseeing the criminal case against him over a hush-money payment to a porn star should be rejected, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said in a filing on Tuesday. Trump has a "history of baselessly accusing state and federal judges around the country of bias," prosecutors wrote in opposing Trump's motion for New York state Justice Juan Merchan to remove himself from the case. Prosecutors said the payment was meant to buy her silence about a sexual encounter she claims she had with Trump. They also said "at no point" did Merchan "induce" Weisselberg to cooperate against Trump. Finally, prosecutors said, Trump's history of attacking courts and judges, "makes clear that this motion is based on tactics, not ethics."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Allen Weisselberg, Stormy Daniels, Prosecutors, Merchan's recusal, Joe Biden, Karen Freifeld, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Companies Trump Organization, Manhattan District, Republican, Trump Organization, Trump, Democrats, Thomson Locations: New York

The Appellate Division in Manhattan was considering Trump's appeal from a January lower court ruling allowing James to sue. James accused Trump of lying to lenders and insurers from 2011 to 2021 about asset values at the Trump Organization, as well as his own net worth. The appeals court appeared more receptive to arguments by Ivanka Trump's lawyer Bennet Moskowitz that James may have sued her too late. The appeals court did not say when it will rule. The case is New York v Trump et al, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, No.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Letitia James, James, Trump, Donald Jr, Eric, Ivanka, Christopher Kise, Saliann Scarpulla, Kise, Judith Vale, Ivanka Trump's, Bennet Moskowitz, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Jonathan Stempel, Howard Goller Organizations: Companies Trump Organization, Division, Trump Organization, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Republican, New York, Appellate, 1st Department, Thomson Locations: York, Manhattan, New York, interject, New

She told jurors they would also hear testimony from two other women who say Trump sexually assaulted them, which Trump denies. Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina countered in his opening statement that the evidence will show the former U.S. president did not assault Carroll. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts on April 4 at a New York state courthouse, a three-minute walk from Tuesday's trial. Trump did not attend the trial and is not required to, and according to lawyers from both sides is unlikely to testify. Carroll is also suing Trump for defamation after he first denied her rape claim in June 2019, when he was still president.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., April 14, 2023. Kaplan said Trump has no obligation to show up or testify, and his lawyers, who said Trump "wishes to appear," can renew the request if he doesn't. The judge also noted that Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential campaign, is planning a New Hampshire campaign stop on April 27, which would be the trial's third day. Carroll, 79, has accused Trump, 76, of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] U.S. President Donald Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll arrives for her hearing at federal court during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 21, 2020. There, he called Carroll's rape claim a "Hoax and a lie" for promoting her memoir, and maintained that she was "not my type!" Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in November 2019, five months after he first denied her rape claim. She has long accused Trump of stalling, and U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan has rejected multiple efforts by Trump to delay Carroll's case. Last year, Trump refused to let his Trump Organization concede wrongdoing in a New York criminal tax fraud case, which ended in a conviction that is being appealed.

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - Donald Trump wants to attend next week's trial involving the writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape, but may not because of security issues his appearance would cause, his lawyer said on Wednesday. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court, Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said that while Trump "wishes to appear at trial," the judge should instruct jurors not to hold it against the former president if he stays away. Trump is also the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential campaign. On the day of Trump's plea, the southbound FDR Drive was closed for Trump's motorcade to the criminal court. Trump has until Thursday to advise whether he plans to attend at all.

☆ Alvin Bragg: Who is the New York prosecutor who got Trump indicted?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's indictment has thrust into the spotlight Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor whose office convinced a New York grand jury to bring the first criminal charges ever against a former U.S. president. Bragg, 49, took office in January 2022, the first Black person elected Manhattan District Attorney. In 2021, Bragg won a crowded primary for the Democratic nomination to succeed Cyrus Vance as Manhattan District Attorney. "I've done this type of work under this type of scrutiny," Bragg said during the campaign, referring to the case against the Trump Foundation. Bragg came under criticism last year for declining to bring charges against Trump over his family real estate company's business practices.

Trump asked Raffensperger to "find" enough votes needed to overturn Trump's election loss in Georgia. Only the Justice Department can decide whether to charge Trump, who has called the Democratic-led panel's investigation a politically motivated sham. Trump has accused the Justice Department of engaging in a partisan witch hunt. NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL CIVIL LAWSUITNew York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and his Trump Organization last September for fraud. The second lawsuit could go to trial on April 25, after a U.S. judge in January called Trump's bid to dismiss it "absurd."

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, March 21 (Reuters) - A New York judge on Tuesday rejected former U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to delay the scheduled Oct. 2 trial in state Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud lawsuit, calling the date "written in stone." Among the other defendants are Trump's adult children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and the jailed former Trump Organization chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Christopher Kise, a lawyer for Trump, said the defendants' confidence is growing as they learn more about James' case. "Once everybody knows exactly what happened, then they're going to see that President Trump has done absolutely nothing wrong," he said. Asked later by a Reuters reporter about the trial date being set in stone, Kise said: "For now, it is."

☆ What Trump allies have faced criminal charges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here is a look at some of the Trump aides and allies who have faced criminal prosecution. Weisselberg pleaded guilty in 2022 and served as a star witness in the Trump Organization's criminal trial on tax fraud charges. Two other close Trump associates, Mark Meadows and Daniel Scavino, did not face similar criminal charges despite a House vote recommending them. Trump pardoned Broidy. Roughly 570 have pleaded guilty and 78 have been found guilty at trial.

Persons: Steve Bannon, Shannon Stapleton, Donald Trump, Six, Prosecutors, Trump, STEVE BANNON Trump's, Bannon, Joe Biden's, swindling Trump, ROGER, Stone, ALLEN WEISSELBERG, Weisselberg, PETER NAVARRO, Navarro, Mark Meadows, Daniel Scavino, MICHAEL COHEN, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Cohen, MICHAEL FLYNN, Flynn, PAUL MANAFORT, Manafort, RICK, Gates, ELLIOT BROIDY, Broidy, Stewart Rhodes, Andy Sullivan, Will Dunham, Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis Organizations: White House, REUTERS, Companies Trump Organization Inc, WASHINGTON, Six Trump, House, . House, Capitol, Trump, Trump White House, U.S, Army, Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, Thomson Locations: New, New York City, U.S, New York, Mexico, Moscow, United States, Russian Ukrainian, Russia

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A longtime executive for Donald Trump is expected to be sent to New York's Rikers Island jail after being sentenced on Tuesday to five months behind bars for helping engineer a 15-year tax fraud scheme at the former president's real estate company. Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer, pleaded guilty in August, admitting that from 2005 to 2017 he and other executives received bonuses and perks that saved the company and themselves money. The sentence was imposed by Justice Juan Merchan in a New York state court in Manhattan. Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A New York judge on Friday said former U.S. President Donald Trump must face a lawsuit by the state's attorney general accusing him of fraudulently overvaluing his namesake real estate company's assets and his own net worth. He also said Ivanka Trump could be sued despite her claims she had not falsified valuations and not worked for the Trump Organization since 2017, saying she could be liable for participating in "continuing wrongs." In a statement, James said Trump "engaged in years of extensive financial fraud to enrich himself and cheat the system," and must defend himself in court. The lawsuit is one of many legal woes affecting Trump, who is seeking another term as president in 2024. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/6] Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told reporters the company would appeal. SEPARATE LAWSUITThe Trump Organization separately faces a fraud lawsuit brought by New York state Attorney General Letitia James. The Trump Organization argued that Weisselberg carried out the scheme to benefit himself. "The whole narrative that Donald Trump was blissfully ignorant is just not real," Steinglass said.

Its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty and testified for the prosecution. The Trump Organization has pleaded not guilty. Its lawyers have argued that an outside accountant from Mazars USA who prepared tax returns for the company, Donald Bender, should have caught Weisselberg's fraud and blown the whistle. Bender "turned a blind eye to Allen Weisselberg's wrongdoing," defense lawyer Susan Necheles said in her closing argument on Thursday. Mazars cut ties with the Trump Organization earlier this year.

"The entire defense strategy here is to promote the notion that Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg," Steinglass told the jury in a New York state court in Manhattan. Steinglass told jurors that Trump executives other than Weisselberg were involved, saying the company's chief operating officer and a former general counsel received Christmas bonuses as if they were independent contractors. If convicted on all nine counts it faces, Trump's company faces up to $1.6 million in fines. 'SMORGASBORD OF BENEFITS'Defense lawyers had told jurors on Thursday that Weisselberg's intent was to benefit himself and not the company. Weisselberg is expected to serve five months in jail after pleading guilty to tax fraud and other charges.

"The whole narrative that Donald Trump was blissfully ignorant is just not real," Steinglass told the 12-person jury in a New York state court. Company lawyers objected when Steinglass showed jurors a Trump-initialed memo said it showed the former president "explicitly sanctioning tax fraud." If convicted on tax fraud, falsifying business records and other charges, Trump's company faces up to $1.6 million in fines. Steinglass said Trump approved luxury apartments for Weisselberg and his son, and for chief operating officer Matthew Calamari and his son. "Free cars for you, free cars for your wife, free apartments for you, free apartments for your kids."

☆ Trump company tax fraud trial nears end in battle over who to blame
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorney's office, said Weisselberg was a product of the "culture of fraud and deception" at Trump's company, and not its only tax fraud beneficiary. Weisselberg is expected to serve five months in jail after pleading guilty to tax fraud and other charges. He told jurors his greed motivated him to cheat on taxes, and described the company's modest payroll tax savings as a "byproduct." Necheles told jurors: "The issue here is not whether as a byproduct the company saved some money. Steinglass urged jurors to dismiss the defense's "far-fetched argument" that Trump's company relied on Mazars to catch wrongdoing.

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