Speaking of stone cold thieves …
by digby
Trump had the monumental gall to call Andrew Gillum, Florida’s Democratic candidate for Governor “a stone cold thief.” He also called him corrupt.
President Donald Trump, his eldest three children and his business have each been named in a new class action lawsuit that claims they Trump brand to prey on vulnerable investors to take part in fraudulent schemes, allegedly defrauding them of millions in the process.
Four anonymous individuals filed the 164-page lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Mondayaccusing the Trumps of “promoting what they described as promising business opportunities with three companies in exchange for ‘secret’ payments: ACN Opportunity, a telecommunications marketing company; the Trump Network, a vitamin and health product marketing company; and the Trump Institute, a seminar program that ‘purported to sell Trump’s ‘secrets to success,'” according to CNN.
The suit says the Trumps “deliberately misled” consumers about the success of their investments and lied about the fraudulent opportunities and why they supported them. Other charges claim that the Trumps engaged in “a pattern of racketeering activity” and “were aware that the vast majority of consumers would lose whatever money they invested in the business opportunities and training programs” offered by the aforementioned companies. However, the companies are not listed as co-defendants.
According to the Washington Post, the alleged schemes stemmed from “promotional spots and speeches that Trump made on behalf of marketing company ACN, also known as American Communications Network, which charged $499 for the chance to sell video phones licensed by the company and sometimes extracted thousands of dollars later to have a chance of recouping the money.”
The Post’s report continued: “Trump earned $450,000 each for three speeches he gave for ACN, according to his government disclosure form, but in marketing videos he told potential investors that the opportunity came ‘without any of the risks most entrepreneurs have to take’ and that his endorsement was ‘not for any money.'”
Aside from the Trump family allegedly knowing that the investments were fraudulent, the lawsuit also accused the family of promoting the schemes, including on the president’s former reality TV show “Celebrity Apprentice” — twice. The plaintiffs are seeking financial relief and a decision that blocks the Trumps from promoting similar schemes moving forward.
Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, seized on the timing of the lawsuit, as well as its funding from the Tesseract Research Center, a nonprofit with ties to Democratic candidates. “This is clearly just another effort by opponents of the president to use the court system to advance a political agenda,” Garten said in a statement. “The motivations here are as plain as day,” he added, given the timing ahead of the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6.
A spokesman for the plaintiff’s countered the Trump Organization’s assertion, telling CNN that the complaint was filed on Monday “because it is ready now.” “We did a thorough investigation and a lot of legal research, and the plaintiffs are eager to file,” he added. “No matter when this was filed, the Trump Org. would say it was politically motivated.”
But the Trump Organization also said that “not only are the allegations completely meritless, but they all relate to events which took place nearly a decade ago and are well past the statute of limitations.”
Trump stepped away from his business once entering the White House, and his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, now run the company. However, Trump still owns it, and Ivanka is a former executive at the company.
This new lawsuit recalls similar allegations of fraud leveled at the president. Trump settled three lawsuits relating to the now-defunct Trump University for $25 million a few days after the 2016 presidential election. Thousands of students of the real estate seminar were allegedly swindled out of millions of dollars, according to one of the suits.
He is, even today, stealing the country blind with both foreign and domestic emoluments. His kids are all over the world selling access to foreign developers.
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