New York AG sues former President Trump, his children and business for fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a major civil lawsuit Wednesday against former President Donald Trump, as well as three of his children and the Trump Organization. James is accusing them of a decade of major fraud and claiming the former president used it to enrich himself.

According to James’ nearly 300-page suit, the fraud was expansive throughout the Trump business, including his properties and golf courses. The AG’s office says the Trump Organization defrauded tax authorities and business lenders and insurers by purposefully manipulating the company’s asset valuations.

“The complaint demonstrates that Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system — thereby cheating all of us,” James said during her news conference announcing the suit.

The suit targets Trump, three of his adult children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, former Trump Organization CEO Allen Weisselberg, and longtime Trump Organization executive Jeff McConney. James also asserted that state and criminal laws may have been broken and referred the issue to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the Internal Revenue Service, CNN noted.

The fraud lawsuit seeks $250 million in damages and to prevent Trump and the children named from being officers of companies in New York. It would also put restrictions on the Trump Organization — including a block on commercial real estate acquisitions for five years.

The Trump team blasted the suit, calling it an “unchecked abuse of authority.”