The office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James, which was already pursuing a civil probe against former President Donald Trump’s company, is now looking into the Trump Organization “in a criminal capacity,” according to her spokesman.
According to James’ spokeswoman, her office’s inquiry is being done in conjunction with the already current criminal investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
Both investigations are looking at charges made by Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that the Trump Organization misrepresented real estate valuations in order to cut tax bills and obtain better loan and insurance terms.
In late 2019, James won a court victory against Trump when a judge ordered him to pay $2 million to settle a complaint filed by the attorney general’s office alleging that he had exploited his Trump Foundation, a charity, to promote his 2016 presidential campaign, as well as other illegal behavior over a decade.
As the AG’s investigation into the Trump Foundation progressed, the Trump Foundation agreed in December 2018 to disband and donate its leftover funds to charity.
