A criminal investigation has been opened into former President Donald Trump’s company, increasing the legal risk for Trump and his family, the New York attorney general’s office said on Tuesday, joining Manhattan District Attorney’s office that’s already in the middle of fraud investigation, Reuters reports.
It is still not clear who’s in the focus of this latest criminal investigation- the former president himself or members of his family.
Previously, Attorney General Letitia James was investigating Trump Organization, the former president’s family-owned business, in a solely civil matter, focusing on whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax.
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office said in a statemen that they’ve informed the Trump Organization that their investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature but in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA.
This is another escalation of the legal jeopardy Trump faces four months after leaving office, with number of known criminal investigations against former Republican president now taking to three.
The Trump Organization could not immediately be reached for comment while Trump has called the investigation politically motivated.
In a separate probe, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, whose term ends on Dec. 31.,has been investigating for more than two years Trump’s pre-presidency business dealings for possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct, including tax and insurance fraud and falsification of business records.
He warned that the statute of limitations for bringing charges against Trump Organization will soon expire.
Be the first to comment