A new round of subpoenas. More interviews with key Trump associates. The addition of a high-profile prosecutor who brought down John Gotti. As Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. told his staff last week, “the work continues.”
The flurry of activity – and the reassurance that the investigation into former president Donal Trump moves full steam ahead – comes in the wake of Vance’s recent announcement that he will not seek re-election this year.
But that news hasn’t slowed down prosecutors probing Trump’s financial dealings. According to the Associated Press, a team of New York investigators are “scrutinizing Trump’s business practices in granular detail.”
To help them in that effort, the Manhattan D.A.’s office has retained the services of Mark Pomerantz, a white-collar crime expert who prosecuted mobsters, including the infamous Gotti.
Earlier this month, The New Yorker reported that prosecutors believe they can “flip” Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Weisselberg, has confirmed that she’s met with the Manhattan D.A.’s office. Her ex-husband also worked for the Trump Organization.
Mary Trump, the former president’s niece, has said “Allen Weisselberg knows where all the bodies are buried.” The New Yorker described Weisselberg as a potential “star witness.”
Investigators are also set to meet with Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the eighth time.
The AP reports that investigators have pressed Cohen about details of Trump’s Seven Springs estate in Westchester, NY. Trump made an environmental conservation arrangement related to Seven Springs that entitles him to a big tax break. But he may have overstated the value of the property in order to get increased savings.
The AP provides more details:
In a sign of prosecutors’ deepening interest in Seven Springs, Vance’s office has sent new subpoenas in recent weeks to local governments in the towns the property spans — Bedford, North Castle and New Castle — following up on an initial round of subpoenas issued in mid-December.
Vance’s office has also subpoenaed material from people who worked on projects to develop the property for Trump, including an engineer who said his duties involved presenting plans to the local planning board.
Earlier in March, the Manhattan D.A.’s office received millions of pages of Trump’s financial records, including tax returns.