As Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 Presidential election come to an end (thank god), it appears his legal cases in New York State and Manhattan are taking a dramatic shift forward. And in this case, he has no control over what happens as of 12:01pm on January 20, 2021. The Washington Post is reporting that Cy Vance, the Manhattan D.A., has retained forensic accounting specialists, FTI Consulting, to assist with their criminal investigation into Donald Trump's business operations, specifically in relation his shady real estate deals.
The investigation started in 2018 after hush money payments to women were made public. That probe expanded to include investigations into the Trump Organization, which were aided by Congressional testimony made my Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen. His testimony made allegations of shady financial representations, which prompted the Manhattan D.A. to investigate bank, insurance and tax fraud.
FTI Consulting's website talks about the type of forensic accounting services they offer:
Our multidisciplinary experts address a variety of accounting and compliance issues; analyze and reconstruct corporate books, records and electronic information; and participate in fact-finding interviews.
We react quickly and confidentially to safeguard assets and reputation, resolve matters with minimum disruption to the business and mitigate recurrences by recommending effective controls. Our approaches enable us to efficiently gather facts, analyze the issues, and prepare reports and presentations that stand up to regulatory and judicial scrutiny. We assist with complex accounting and reporting issues that arise from situations occurring outside the normal course of business, including:
- Fraud and complex financial investigations
- Audit and special committee investigations
- Financial statement misstatements, inadequate disclosure and restatements
- Whistleblower allegations
- Regulatory inquiries
- Anti-corruption and FCPA/UK Bribery Act compliance and forensics
- Independent internal controls and fraud risk assessment
- Compliance and transaction risk assessments
- M&A fraud services
- Ponzi schemes, embezzlement and kickbacks
- Receiver, trustee and independent monitorship services
- Technical accounting services
- Assistance with auditors
- Accountant liability
- SEC & Accounting Advisory
We assist clients in addressing complex accounting, regulatory and auditing issues, including all phases of SEC and PCAOB actions and litigation. Our work includes the resolution of technical issues, assessment of claims, restatements and listing advisory services. Our testifying experts typically have given evidence both for and against the government, thereby enhancing credibility with juries and courts. Several of our seasoned accounting professionals have served with the SEC’s Divisions of Enforcement and Corporation Finance and in the Office of the Chief Accountant, as well as the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
The Post reports that FTI will be looking for "anomalies among a variety of property deals, and to advise the district attorney on whether the president’s company manipulated the value of certain assets to obtain favorable interest rates and tax breaks." They will be looking at transactions "spanning several years."
Consultants from FTI have probably already begun reviewing bank and mortgage records and will most likely testify as expert witnesses if the case goes to trial, especially if it involves bringing criminal charges against Donald Trump, his kids and his employees.
Thus far, Donald Trump has avoided providing tax records or DNA in various cases under the excuse that he is "too busy being President", but that excuse goes away on January 20, 2021 when he returns to being a regular citizen. He will have no job and no excuse for why he can't show up for hearings or produce documents. And just a reminder, even if he pardons himself, it will only apply to FEDERAL crimes. Not state. So nothing he does can protect him from Cy Vance (Manhattan D.A.) or Letitia James (New York State A.G).
And they are both coming for him.
