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Trump to Re-open Alcatraz

More good ideas from Trump. Of course Democrats will hate it, since they do not think ANYONE
should be in prison. Hell, some Democrats lobbied to close all the prisons.
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@Thinkerbell says
Um... I think lots of Democrats think Trump should be in prison.
Certain rogue prosecutors and rogue judges, for example.
What was "rogue" about tRump's NY conviction??

tRump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business documents. This is a crime under New York Executive Law EXC § 63(12). This can be either a misdemeanor or felony depending on whether the falsification was part of a further crime. In this case, the further crime was falsification of income streams on tax documents, i.e. tax fraud.

How do we know? From the documents and testimony of Trump Org controller, Mr J.S. McConney. Take it away, Boo-Boo Jeff!!

“I made a boo-boo,” Jeffrey S. McConney admitted when describing the erroneous math he scribbled on “TRUMP” corporate letterhead.

The former Trump Organization controller testified about the notes he took during a January 2017 meeting that laid out how the family real estate company was going to surreptitiously reimburse attorney Michael Cohen for fronting the $130,000 that silenced the porn star Stormy Daniels. That payment kept her from going public about her decade-old, one-night stand with Trump in the days before the 2016 presidential election.

The farce was laid out in black and white, with handwritten notes explaining the fuzzy math at play.

Cohen would be paid $180,000, which was doubled on paper so that it would make up for the roughly 50 percent taxes the Midtown Manhattan resident would have to pay in federal, state, and city taxes. McConney wrote “180,000 x 2 for taxes” in black pen on the bright white paper. On the witness stand, he admitted the company was fine having it “grossed up” to ensure Cohen got his proper share.

The sham continued when tallying up Cohen’s bonus. Initially $50,000 was marked as “paid to Red Finch for tech services” but that seemed to morph instead to mean $60,000 for Cohen himself.

“Michael was complaining that his bonus wasn’t large enough. This was to make up for whatever he thought he was owed,” McConney testified.

The total $420,000 was then divided by 12 so that Cohen would get $35,000 each month for a year. McConney’s notes of that meeting included a mention that stated “Mike to invoice us,” the genesis of what prosecutors say would later be Cohen invoices for fake legal work that Trump gladly paid to keep the hush money deal under wraps.

Monday’s testimony also connected Trump directly to the process, a major step forward in the case. Prosecutors showed jurors a copy of a March 28, 2017 email in which McConney wrote, “I’ll check status tomorrow. DJT needs to sign check.”

On the stand, McConney explained that authorizing the money transfers would require having someone actually go to the White House have the then-president of the United States approve the payment himself—while he was president.


Again, @Thinkerbell, what was "rogue"??
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@sunsporter1649 I directly addressed the claim of "rogue" judge and prosecutor.

Objection overruled based on replay of events.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@ElwoodBlues Yes, we know, paying an attorney for legal services rendered is a felony, right?
@sunsporter1649 Nope. Falsifying the documents to indicate on-going legal services leading to false tax records is the crime. See New York Executive Law EXC § 63(12).
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@ElwoodBlues

"What was "rogue" about tRump's NY conviction??"

Tut, tut, Ellie... let's wait until the appeals are exhausted before you so fervently insist that they weren't rogue.

Even Merchan himself blinked when Trump got re-elected. At that point Merchan realized his strenuous efforts to prevent it had failed.

@Thinkerbell says
rogue prosecutors and rogue judges
So you made the assertion about "rogue; effectively accusing the prosecutor and/or judge of malfeasance.

But you can't answer the question with any specifics of your malfeasance allegation. You are merely parroting the vague accusations of the reich-wing bloggers. Good to know.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@ElwoodBlues

"But you can't answer the question with any specifics of your malfeasance allegation."

Still belly-aching, eh, Ellie? 🤭

As if you didn't know what the specifics are. 🙄

For example:

[media=https://youtu.be/ncHh35PAwMM]

In short, "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime," as your pal Lavrenty Beria used to say.

Or was Beria the pal of your "distinguished historian" relative? 😂 🤣 😂
@Thinkerbell Repeating your allegation of malfeasance, still with zero supporting evidence. Your video clip is from long before the details of the charges were released (mention of 34 counts leaked). Speculation without reference to the specific charges and specific evidence is empty talk.

Swing and a miss
This comment is hidden. Show Comment
DogMan · 61-69, M
@sunsporter1649 That IS amazing. They are truly magicians. They still control 90% of the media, so it's easy
for them to get 50% of the country to believe whatever they say.
@DogMan says
That IS amazing.
I think the more accurate phrase would be "big if true." However, it's false.

(1) New York had a pandemic era extension of their usual 5-year Statute of Limitations.

(2) As explained in my post, according to New York Executive Law EXC § 63(12), falsification of business documents can be either a misdemeanor or felony depending on whether the falsification was part of a further crime. In this case, the further crime was falsification of income streams on tax documents, i.e. tax fraud.

(3) It's heartening to see that sunstroke admits tRump's 34 violations of NY EXC § 63(12), falsification of business documents and only contests the felony classification. Perhaps sunstroke can explain what he means by "hyperinflation." Oh, wait, he'll just post another silly cartoon🤣😂
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@ElwoodBlues

And as usual you dodged, Ellie.

You had no answer for Deshowitz's observation that never in his 60 years of practice and teaching has he ever seen such a thinly contrived case, obviously brought only because of WHO was being prosecuted. Add to that, Bragg had over two years to bring his trumped-up felony charges, but DIDN'T until after Trump announced his candidacy, which makes the "show me the man, and I'll show you the crime" prosecution even more obvious. And of course, Merchan went along with it, every step of the way (and probably regretted it later, when he realized that the lawfare had probably helped Trump win).

BTW, in that other notorious lawfare case, brought by Letitia James, Gov Hochul had to hasten to assure NY businesspeople that they had "nothing to worry about" from such prosecutions, making it perfectly obvious that the Trump case was political.

"New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) addressed New York business owners in a new interview and told them there was “nothing to worry about” after former President Trump was hit with a $355 million fine and a ban on conducting business in New York for three years.

Hochul joined John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM, where she was asked if other New York businesspeople should be worried that if “they can do that to the former president, they can do that to anybody.”

“I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior,” Hochul responded." [They are also not likely to be running for president. 🤫 🤫 🤫]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4474774-hochul-tells-ny-businesses-not-to-fear-about-trump-verdict-nothing-to-worry-about/

@Thinkerbell says
You had no answer for Deshowitz's [sic] observation
Dershowitz is paid extremely well to get on his high dudgeon and spin for terribly repugnant people; watch or read Reversal of Fortune where Dershowitz explains his moral calculus for defending Claus von Bulow. Of course, Dersh has skin in this game; he & tRump were both associates of Epstein as well as accused of having sex with underage women trafficked by Epstein. A good lawyer knows how to imply practically anything outside a courtroom.

brought only because of WHO was being prosecuted
Also true of Al Capone's tax evasion case🤣😂 tRump has spent a lifetime getting away with bank fraud, tax fraud, and insurance fraud. He belongs in jail.

Bragg had over two years
Actually, tRump fought tooth and nail to keep documents away from prosecutors. It took two years to obtain the smoking gun documents like the one I posted above. BTW, tRump declared his candidacy ASAP just so he could claim the charges were purely political. If Puff Daddy ran for prez, should that alter the case against him?? "Courts and cops hate it when you use this trick!"

... case, brought by Letitia James ... worried that if “they can do that to the former president, they can do that to anybody.”
Indeed. The law applies to everyone; that's the point. If you don't want to be prosecuted, don't falsify your business documents.

"The law under which Ms. James sued, known by its shorthand 63(12), requires the plaintiff to show a defendant’s conduct was deceptive. If that standard is met, a judge can impose severe punishment, including forfeiting the money obtained through fraud. Ms. James has also used this law against the oil company ExxonMobil, the tobacco brand Juul and the pharma executive Martin Shkreli."

The penalty is disgorgement of profits made thru the fraudulent business documents. tRump was lucky; they could only force disgorgement from the last 7 years; the rest of his frauds were beyond the statute of limitations. Is the penalty unfair? If a scam artist makes $350 mil from cheating and you only fine him $50 mil, that makes cheating VERY profitable - you can't deny it.

Trump falsified business records involving:
Trump Tower triplex apartment
40 Wall St
Vornado Realty Trust
Trump Park Ave
Seven Springs
Briarcliffe
Mar-a-Lago
Trump National Golf Club LA
Aberdeen Golf Course

Trump is thus required by law to disgorge profits made from these falsifications.

For complete details, see
https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/02/Judge-Engoron-ruling-in-Trump-New-York-civil-fraud-case.pdf

"Valuing occupied residences as if vacant, valuing restricted land as if unrestricted, valuing an apartment as if it were triple its actual size, valuing property many times the amount of concealed appraisals, valuing planned buildings as if completed and ready to rent, valuing golf courses with brand premium while claiming not to, and valuing restricted funds as cash, are not subjective differences of opinion, they are misstatements at best and fraud at worst," the judge wrote.
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@ElwoodBlues

"...where Dershowitz explains his moral calculus for defending Claus von Bulow."

Yes he does... there was prosecutorial misconduct in Buelow's first trial. The guilty verdict was overturned on appeal because the prosecution had withheld crucial evidence from the defense.

That's why we should always wait until all appeals are exhausted, right Ellie? Or are you against due process when the defendant is someone you don't like? Hmm... 🤭

"Also true of Al Capone's tax evasion case..."

No one else had been prosecuted for tax evasion...? 😂 😂 😂

"Indeed. The law applies to everyone; that's the point. If you don't want to be prosecuted, don't falsify your business documents."

So that's why Gov Hochul was at such pains to assure everyone that Trump was a very special case, and that other NY business people "have nothing to worry about" because they are all so honest. 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

BTW, I recall reading that Letitia James has falsified business documents in her real estate transactions.

https://www.newsweek.com/letitia-james-fraud-accusations-documents-2063639

But she has "nothing to worry about," as Hochul so aptly put it. I rather doubt that James will prosecute herself. 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

But we can always count on you to take the Dem party line, right, Ellie?

"And the codger never faltered, never once the left-line altered, always fudged and always paltered..."

@Thinkerbell As usual you dodged and misled, stinker.

You say
The guilty verdict was overturned on appeal because the prosecution had withheld crucial evidence from the defense.
DEAD WRONG!!! Have you begun penning fiction along with your poesy? Dershowitz got crucial evidence thrown out because it was gathered by a private eye hired by Sonny's children. Without that crucial evidence, conviction wasn't possible. It was a technicality; nothing to do with guilt or innocence.

Dershowitz tells his team that appeals aren’t won on the basis of a defendant’s guilt or innocence but on constitutional issues or procedural faults in the trial.

“If Hitler calls me up, what do I do?” asks Dershowitz, a Brooklyn-born Jewish divorced father, of his son. “Defend him,” says the son, who knows his father well.


Among other terrible people, Dershowitz represented Leona Helmsley (Queen of mean) for her appeal of her tax evasion conviction; even claiming she had actually overpaid her taxes. Her conviction was upheld.

Dershowitz is a hired mouth. He'll say anything and spin anything to win a case. Especially outside the courtroom. Sad that your case for tRump hinges on such a flagrant paid prevaricator.

That's why we should always wait until all appeals are exhausted, right Ellie?
DEAD WRONG AGAIN!!! Once convicted, a person is presumed guilty until proven innocent on appeal. That's why many mafia dons have to plead their appeals from prison.

To paraphrase St Ronald of Reagan:
The trouble with our conservative friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.

"Also true of Al Capone's tax evasion case..."

No one else had been prosecuted for tax evasion...? 😂 😂 😂
Nice dodge!!! Do you need new eyeglasses? Are you suffering from tRump-style cognitive decline?? I listed other cases that had been prosecuted for the same crime. Here, let me refresh your memory.

"The law under which Ms. James sued, known by its shorthand 63(12), requires the plaintiff to show a defendant’s conduct was deceptive. If that standard is met, a judge can impose severe punishment, including forfeiting the money obtained through fraud. Ms. James has also used this law against the oil company ExxonMobil, the tobacco brand Juul and the pharma executive Martin Shkreli."

BTW, I recall reading that Letitia James has falsified business documents in her real estate transactions.
She identified a place in VA as her principle residence. Perhaps it was at the time. BTW, something I read said falsifying business documents was not a federal crime. Regardless, what LJ may or may not have done wrong has no effect on tRump's falsifications (see below).

"nothing to worry about," as Hochul so aptly put it.
More dodging, stinker. You failed to address the long list of tRump frauds the judge listed. All of them separately prosecutable as criminal cases after the civil case ends. Here. let me refresh your memory again!

"Valuing occupied residences as if vacant, valuing restricted land as if unrestricted, valuing an apartment as if it were triple its actual size, valuing property many times the amount of concealed appraisals, valuing planned buildings as if completed and ready to rent, valuing golf courses with brand premium while claiming not to, and valuing restricted funds as cash, are not subjective differences of opinion, they are misstatements at best and fraud at worst," the judge wrote.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@ElwoodBlues Yup, Mar-A-Lago is worth $18,000,000, borrowing money and repaying it back, on time, with interest, is illegal, right?