New York Attorney General Letitia James Seeks 2023 Trial Date For Trump Fraud Lawsuit

James' office said it wants an expedited schedule because the Trumps are engaged in "an ongoing scheme."
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The New York attorney general’s office wants to accelerate its tax-fraud lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and his three eldest children, and “set a trial date before the end of 2023.”

The office of Attorney General Letitia James told a New York judge on Thursday that it wants “an expedited preliminary conference” to swiftly schedule the trial, citing its allegation that the Trumps are engaged in “an ongoing scheme” of fraud.

“Given the fact that this action involves allegations of an ongoing scheme and conspiracy to obtain millions of dollars through fraudulent activity, and that defendants repeatedly have sought to delay the conclusion of OAG’s investigation, it is imperative that this case proceed quickly,” wrote Kevin Wallace, a senior counsel for the Division of Economic Justice, in a court filing shared by CNN.

Last week, James filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, seeking to prevent them from conducting business in the state and curtail their access to loans.

“Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us,” James told reporters at the time.

Trump lawyer Alina Habba on Wednesday sought to get the case reassigned to the state court’s commercial division, alleging in a court filing obtained by CNN that James’ office was trying to “judge shop.”

The case was later assigned to State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who previously held Trump in contempt of court for refusing to turn over documents James had requested.

James’ office on Thursday said Engoron should remain on the case, adding the judge has spent over two years overseeing “the conduct of the investigation that led to this enforcement proceeding.”

“Allowing for an expedited trial schedule on an enforcement proceeding after extensive litigation over subpoena enforcement is precisely the circumstance that warrants keeping this case before Justice Engoron in the interests of judicial economy,” Wallace wrote.

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