Donald Trump Fraud Trial: Witness Reveals What's Wrong About Trump's Net Worth
Donald Trump's New York fraud trial continued with appraiser Doug Larson taking the stand, and the new witness revealed that there were many things wrong with the ex-president's net worth calculations, further strengthening the argument that he padded his net worth with fraudulent calculations.
According to Newsweek, Doug Larson is an appraiser whose name appears multiple times over years' worth of Trump's financial documents. These financial documents reportedly allege that the building valuations were determined through multiple phone conversations between Larson and Trump. These buildings and property not just include Trump Tower but also 40 Wall Street and a retail area named "Niketown."
Larson was also a former executive at the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. He testified that he never actually spoke with Trump regarding these valuations.
"The Trump Organization seems to have just made this stuff up," as Forbes magazine editor Dan Alexander pointed out.
18/ The AG's office goes through example after example like this, where Larson is listed as a source on key figures that the Trump Org used in its valuations. But Larson doesn't remember these conversations. The Trump Organization seems to have just made this stuff up.
— Dan Alexander (@DanAlexander21) October 17, 2023
Larson was then questioned by State Attorney Mark Ladov regarding how he reacted when he saw his name being cited as the source for the valuation method for the Niketown building. He admitted that he should have been told about this, which he was not.
Back to 40 Wall Street. We’re looking at an appraisal of the property Larson and Cushman & Wakefield did in 2010.
Trump attorney Cliff Robert objects, says it’s too old and outside of the time period of the alleged scheme (2011 to 2021).— Stewart Bishop (@stewartbishop) October 17, 2023
Justice Engoron overrules it. The appraisal report is coming in.
— Stewart Bishop (@stewartbishop) October 17, 2023
“The statute of limitation involves claims, not evidence. Of course you can argue that it's irrelevant, but that hasn’t been established,” the judge says.
As he testified, the witness noted that the document was inappropriate and inaccurate as he admitted that he never assisted the Trump Organization in valuing the buildings. He also testified that the organization never informed him that he would be used as a source.
Trump Organization Accountant Testifies Vs. Donald Trump During New York Fraud Trial
Donald Trump himself was at the proceedings when the man he listed in his financial records testified against him. However, prosecutors also presented another witness during Tuesday's trial, and that was Trump Organization accountant Donna Kidder.
In her testimony, Kidder admitted that she was the one who filled out spreadsheets documenting the value of a Trump-owned Wall Street office building. She also admitted that then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg told her to say and act like the property was fully leased by a certain date. She testified that, in reality, some spaces were currently vacant.
The Associated Press reported that Kidder also testified that she was told to project that unsold units "would all sell out" in a certain timeframe for Trump's Park Avenue residential tower. In her testimony, she admitted that she was not aware that the company would use those assumptions to improve and pad Trump's financial statements for lenders.
Donald Trump Continues Whining About 'Witch Hunt' After New York Fraud Trial Hearing
Donald Trump called the testimonies against him a "witch hunt" and continued to assert that he did nothing wrong and that the case against him was nothing more than a political vendetta.
"We built a great company - a lot of cash, it's got a lot of great assets, some of the greatest real estate assets anywhere in the world," the ex-POTUS said outside the courtroom before calling the case "a disgrace," the legal system as "corrupt" and the Democratic attorney general as a "radical lunatic."
However, AG James answered him by saying, "Mr. Trump may lie, but numbers don't lie," pointing to the amount of evidence that was presented against him on Tuesday.
"He can call me names, he can engage in distractions, his entire empire was built on nothing but lies and on sinking sand," James added.
READ MORE: Trump Organization Convicted of 17 Felonies, Gets Maximum Punishment
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Trump hears employee and an appraiser testify against him in civil fraud trial - Eyewitness News ABC7NY
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