The district attorney’s office in Westchester County, NY is investigating the financial dealings of a golf course owned by former president Donald Trump, according to a report in The New York Times.
Prosecutors working in the New York City suburb are trying to determine if Trump National Golf Club Westchester intentionally underrepresented its value in order to reduce its tax burden.
Records from the club and the town of Ossining, where it is located, have been subpoenaed.
The Times reports:
Every year since 2015, the Trump club has appealed its tax bill in court, prompting an outcry in the Ossining area, where hundreds of demonstrators marched in 2017, chanting, “Pay your share.”
In seeking to cut the tax bill — sometimes by as much as 90 percent — the club has argued that the property was worth much less than Ossining officials had determined, a common strategy among many country clubs, not just Mr. Trump’s. In one year, the Trump club put the property’s value at about $1.4 million, while the town assessed it at roughly $15 million.
At one point during his presidency, Trump said the club – which includes a 101 foot waterfall – was worth $50 million.
The town of Ossining recently refunded $875,000 to the club after both parties reached an agreement on its assessed value.
The Times adds:
In a statement released Wednesday, the Trump Organization said any suggestion that it was inappropriate for the club to seek a lower property tax bill was “completely false and incredibly irresponsible.” Kerry A. Lawrence, a lawyer for the club, declined to comment. The club is one of 16 golf properties the company owns or operates.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office is led by Mimi E. Rocah, a former prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and a one-time MSNBC contributor. She has vocally criticized Trump in the past, calling him a “criminal” during his first impeachment trial.
The Manhattan District Attorneys Office is also probing the Trump Organization. In July, it charged the company’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with failing to pay taxes on perks in lieu of payment. The company itself – and a holding company – were also indicted in the tax fraud scheme. All parties pled not guilty. The investigation continues.
Trump’s efforts to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia are also the subject of a criminal probe and he is party to at least ten civil lawsuits.
