Who is Letitia James? NYC's top prosecutor fighting against Donald Trump
New York-based attorney general Letitia James is fighting against former US President Donald Trump in a fraud trial. Here's everything you should know about the prosecutor.
New York-based attorney general Letitia James has been gaining limelight recently. The top prosecutor has been fighting a fraud trial against former U.S. President Donald Trump which may lead to the demolishing of his enormous real-estate empire.
While for some she is a woman chasing publicity, for others she is a hero fighting for a cause.
We have compiled everything you should about the 64-year-old career prosecutor and her fight against the former president.
Letitia Ann “Tish” James, was born in New York in 1958. Raised in Brooklyn with her seven siblings, she attended public schools in the city before getting a law degree from Howard University in Washington.
She began her legal career as a public defender and then entered NYC politics as a council member. She later promoted herself to a public advocate. It was in 2018 that Tish became the NYC state attorney general.
It was last year on September 21, that Letitia filed a lawsuit against Donald and his family members along with associates and businesses in the New York Supreme Court.
"Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization repeatedly and persistently manipulated the value of assets to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms than would otherwise have been available to the company," stated Letitia, "to pay lower taxes, to satisfy continuing loan agreements, and to induce insurance companies to provide insurance coverage for higher limits and at lower premiums."
According to the 65 witnesses and millions of documents that the prosecutor and her team reviewed Donald had submitted "more than 200 false and misleading asset valuations."
Last week Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.
He revoked the business licenses of Donald and his two adult sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, prohibiting them from doing any business in the states.
Throughout the battle, Donald has titled Letitia as “a renegade and out of control prosecutor,” has dismissed her as “crazy” and her actions as “witch-hunt.”
This is along with invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination a number of times.
This week Judge Arthur will be hearing arguments on a potential fine, which could make the former President liable to pay about $250 million.
Keep following HT's world news space for more updates on the matter.