Month: December 2024

The New York Attorney General’s Office has rejected a demand from President-elect Donald Trump to drop the , $480 million civil business fraud case against him.

NY Attorney General Letitia James had been urged by Trump defense attorney John Sauer in a Nov. 26 letter to dismiss the case “for the health of our Republic.”  Sauer wrote: “President Trump has called for our Nation’s partisan strife to end, and for the contending factions to join forces for the greater good of the country. This call for unity extends to the legal onslaught against him and his family that permeated the most recent election cycle.”

Sauer had argued that the continuation of the case will impede Trump from carrying out his presidential duties.  However in a two-page letter, Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale responded that “this Office will not stipulate to vacate the final judgment already entered by Supreme Court, New York County, in this action or otherwise seek to dismiss the action.”  Vale added that there is “no merit” to Sauer’s claims, and that Trump’s upcoming inauguration “has no bearing” on the outcome of the trial or his ongoing efforts to challenge the judgment, saying: “Presidents do not have immunity from civil lawsuits arising from unofficial conduct, and such lawsuits may proceed while the President is in office. This civil enforcement action is not a criminal action, and [Manhattan] Supreme Court did not impose any criminal sanction on Mr. Trump or any other defendant.”

The civil case was brought by AG James in 2022, and accuses Trump, his two adult sons, his business and key executives within it of falsely inflating Trump’s assets to boost his stated net worth and obtain financial perks. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for fraud and held a bench trial to determine penalties in February, ordering Trump to pay more than $450 million in fines and interest. That penalty included millions of dollars in prejudgment interest that will accrue by $111,983 every day until it is paid, with Trump’s total judgment and interest totaling more than $486 million.

A New York appeals court in March reduced the bond amount to $175 million; the appeals court has yet to issue a decision.

Editorial credit: Steve Sanchez Photos / Shutterstock.com

The suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City faced an extradition hearing on murder charges on Tuesday afternoon.

Luigi Mangione contested extradition to New York but was denied bail and remanded to State Correctional Institution Huntingdon in Huntingdon County. The state of Pennsylvania has 30 days to get a warrant from NY Gov. Kathy Hochul for extradition to NY. Mangione has been charged in NY with one count of second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, online court documents show. He also faces gun charges in Pennsylvania related to the firearm police found on him when he was arrested on Monday.

Mangione was seen on video pulling away from members of the Blair County Sheriff’s Department before entering the courthouse, screaming: “This is completely unjust and an insult to the American people!” He was pinned against a wall before being forced inside.

Per NBC News, Mangione was arrested yesterday morning at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on a tip from an employee. Authorities said he had a gun similar to the one used in the shooting, a silencer and a fake ID. In handwritten notes, he said “these parasites had it coming” and that he “wasn’t working with anyone.”

According to a confidential assessment of the crime by the NYPD intelligence bureau (based in part on the suspect’s writings) and reported by ABC News, Mangione “appeared to view the targeted killing … as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge to its alleged corruption and ‘power games.’”  The suspect allegedly described himself as the “first to face” United Healthcare “with such brutal honesty.”

Additionally, according to the New York arrest warrant when arrested on Monday, Mangione had “written admissions about the crime” with him along with several handwritten pages expressing “disdain for corporate America.” NYPD Chief of Detective Joe Kenny said on Tuesday that Mangione indicated “he’s frustrated with the health care system in the United States. Specifically, he states how we are the No. 1 most expensive health care system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world.”

Editorial credit: George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com