SHIFTY BUSINESS

Manhattan Prosecutors Evaluating Whether Trump Lied to His Accountants: NYT

A 2011 financial statement, for example, did not mention Trump’s hotel in Chicago and associated tens of millions in debt.

Prosecutors in Manhattan are evaluating Donald Trump’s financial disclosures to determine whether he lied to his own accountants to get more favorable loan terms, The New York Times reports. Lawyers in District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.’s office are reportedly examining Trump’s annual statements of financial condition—summaries of information from the Trump Organization given to accountants and then presented to lenders—for whether he inflated the values of his real estate assets, made overly optimistic projections about their appreciation, and omitted unfavorable financial data points. A 2011 statement, for example, did not mention Trump’s hotel in Chicago and associated tens of millions in debt. The attorneys have also interviewed one of his accountants and one of his bankers in recent weeks. Trump has not been charged with a crime, and his accounting firm, Mazars USA, declined to comment.