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Transcript/ScriptTRUMP-OVERVALUED-PROPERTIES-TV
HEADLINE: Trump Fights for Real Estate Empire in Civil Fraud Trial
TEASER: PUBLISHED AT: 10/3/23, 5:55p
BYLINE: Aron Ranen
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: New York City
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aron Ranen
PRODUCER:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Tsikhanenka
SCRIPT EDITORS: Tsikhanenka, MAS, djones approved
VIDEO SOURCES: VOA,
PLATFORMS: WEB__TV_X__RADIO_X_
TRT: 3:31
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVR
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[Donald Trump is fighting a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit that claims the former president provided false information regarding the value of his real estate empire. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit against Trump, his two adult sons and his company. Aron Ranen reports from New York City]].
[[NAT SOUND STREET NOISE]]
((NARRATOR))
Former President Donald Trump is back in the New York Supreme Court building, this time trying to safeguard his extensive real estate portfolio from falling into the possession of the state of New York.
In the $250 million civil fraud trial, the former president is accused of overstating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure more favorable terms and agreements from banks, investors and business partners.
((Radio intro Letitia James is the Attorney General of New York))
((Letitia James, Attorney General of New York))((female, in ENGLISH))
“Donald Trump and the other defendants have been committed persistent and repeated fraud. My message is simple. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.”
((NARRATOR))
The lawsuit centers around several properties that are allegedly overvalued.
In one example, Trump valued his 40 Wall Street property at more than $735 million dollars, while the official appraisal was $550 million, a difference of almost 200 million dollars.
In another case, Trump valued his Mar-a-Lago property at $739 million, a figure the New York Attorney General says is more than 10 times over a reasonable estimate of its worth.
((NARRATOR))
Trump vehemently denies these charges.
((Donald Trump, Former President)) ((male, in ENGLISH))
“This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time. // The banks got back their money. Again, there was never a default. There was never a problem. Everything was perfect. There was no crime, the crime is against me, because we have a corrupt district attorney”
((NARRATOR))
Neama Rahmani is a former federal prosecutor.
[[Radio intro: Neama Rahmani is a former federal prosecutor]]
((Neama Rahmani, Former Federal Prosecutor) ((male in ENGLISH)) ((Zoom))
“The prosecution is going to rebut Trump in two ways. They're going to try to get into his mind, show his knowledge and intent. The second way is to put on experts who are going to testify that the true value of these properties was nowhere near what Trump and his lawyers and accountants said they were.”
((NARRATOR))
Rahmani says cases like this one are uncommon.
(((Neama Rahmani, Former Federal Prosecutor) ((male in ENGLISH)) ((Zoom))
“As a former federal prosecutor, these types of inflations are not common. Now folks may get away with it, because unless there's a report or a complaint, this evidence may not come to the attention of law enforcement and prosecutors. But if they do, this type of fraud upon a bank is a crime both at the state and federal level”.
((NARRATOR))
Even as witnesses testify against him, Trump says the civil case and four separate criminal indictments that he faces are helping him politically.
((Donald Trump, Former President)) ((male, in ENGLISH))
[[Radio: Donald Trump, Former President of The United States]]
“I can tell you the voters getting it, because every time they give me a fake indictment, I go up in the polls and that's never happened before”.
((NARRATOR))
Professor Ester Fuchs – a political science professor at Columbia University – challenges Trump’s assertion.
((MANDATORY COURTESY: ZOOM))
((Ester Fuchs, Columbia University ((female in ENGLISH)) ((Zoom))
“His favorability versus unfavourability rating has been, seems to be impacted by some of these indictments. Right now, he has about a 59% unfavorability rating. // Donald Trump has a lot to worry about from these indictments, even if he thinks it's boosting up his ratings”.
((NARRATOR))
As the former president fights to maintain his real estate empire in court, the real impact of his legal troubles on his White House bid is still unclear.
((Aron Ranen, VOA News, New York City))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
New York City
Embargo DateOctober 3, 2023 18:53 EDT
Byline
Aron Ranen, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
