Among the many mysteries I’ve been unable to fathom is a deceptively simple one: why don’t Trump voters find his hysterical efforts to hide his taxes suspicious? Don’t they ever wonder what it is he is so determined to hide?
So far, of course, he’s been successful. His lawyers have been able to appeal lower court orders requiring him to turn over his tax returns, his bank says it doesn’t have copies (and if you believe that, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you…), and between the insane tweets and the bizarre behaviors and now the impeachment shenanigans, the issue of the tax returns has receded into the vast pile of venality labeled “and other stuff.”
But thanks to Pro Publica, we now have at least a partial answer. It’s not surprising, but it sure does explain why he wanted to keep the information hidden.
Documents obtained by ProPublica show stark differences in how Donald Trump’s businesses reported some expenses, profits and occupancy figures for two Manhattan buildings, giving a lender different figures than they provided to New York City tax authorities. The discrepancies made the buildings appear more profitable to the lender — and less profitable to the officials who set the buildings’ property tax.
For instance, Trump told the lender that he took in twice as much rent from one building as he reported to tax authorities during the same year, 2017. He also gave conflicting occupancy figures for one of his signature skyscrapers, located at 40 Wall Street.
Lenders like to see a rising occupancy level as a sign of what they call “leasing momentum.” Sure enough, the company told a lender that 40 Wall Street had been 58.9% leased on Dec. 31, 2012, and then rose to 95% a few years later. The company told tax officials the building was 81% rented as of Jan. 5, 2013.
When tax experts were shown the discrepancies, they dismissed the possibility that they were careless errors; they agreed the inconsistencies were properly characterized as tax fraud.
New York City’s property tax forms state that the person signing them “affirms the truth of the statements made” and that “false filings are subject to all applicable civil and criminal penalties.”…
ProPublica obtained the property tax documents using New York’s Freedom of Information Law. The documents were public because Trump appealed his property tax bill for the buildings every year for nine years in a row, the extent of the available records. We compared the tax records with loan records that became public when Trump’s lender, Ladder Capital, sold the debt on his properties as part of mortgage-backed securities.
ProPublica reviewed records for four properties: 40 Wall Street, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, 1290 Avenue of the Americas and Trump Tower. Discrepancies involving two of them — 40 Wall Street and the Trump International Hotel and Tower — stood out.
One expert who was asked to look at the returns said the numbers suggested the company had kept two sets of books–one for lenders, another for tax authorities.
Taxes have long been a third rail for Trump. Long before he famously declined to make his personal returns public, a New York Times investigation concluded, Trump participated in tax schemes that involved “outright fraud,” and that he had formulated “a strategy to undervalue his parents’ real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns.” Trump’s former partners in Panama claimed in a lawsuit, which is ongoing, that Trump’s hotel management company failed to pay taxes on millions in fees it received. Spokespeople for Trump and his company have denied any tax improprieties in the past.
In February, Cohen told Congress that Trump had adjusted figures up or down, as necessary, to obtain loans and avoid taxes. “It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes,” Cohen testified, “and deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes.”
Most Trump voters, of course, lack the resources to play these games. They have to pay what they owe. One would think they might resent it when rich people lie to evade taxes–but then, it’s widely known that Trump routinely stiffs vendors and contractors, and his base doesn’t seem to care. (As long as he hates the same people they do…)
What was that Trump line? “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” A star! I guess the delusional self-image that supposedly entitles him to grab women’s genitals tells him he’s also entitled to cheat on his taxes.
Evidently, the people who think gold toilets are classy think tax fraud is smart…..
But..but…when Trump’s very good tax plan, and refusal to let ‘those’ people steal their jobs (while at the same time stealing their welfare benefits) makes all of THEM millionaires, they too want to be able to cheat on their taxes, just like their demigod.
The extent of the delusion is astounding.
nothing new from the rich,who believe the working class should fully support the national needs,over their need to drown in cash. go figure, we have massive infrastructure needs,who cares,the rich fly around it,or buy up water companies,and we know where that goes. the govenors tax cuts around the country,again,appease the rich,while doing little to,,stop manpower needs in law enforcement ,responders,and the dire overworked issues,facing them, rapid fire into the night anyone,dallas,,,over worked,and a real ptsd issue,we just ignore. but then again,the rich have the cops shit on themselves when one of them is in,need. social programs, again, wages will never again meet the living standards we as the working class,work for,and only see,corps,wall street,and banks,an over priced goods, suck us dry,just trying to get kids off to school,feed them,and see nothing left,at the end of the day. just make that dream come true,with a loan at the bank. we use to be able to save enough to buy a car..the fact,the rich continually spend money to deny us a living wage,buy a think tanks to spread division,and then denie the support of the only country,they want to live in.when their multi tiered life style has a bump,the state dept and whoever else,represents them in trade,at the tax payers cost..they hide money in overseas accounts,then demand we give em a break when they want to import it back..tax cuts do little for the working man,over a decent living wage. but thne again, capitalism has been given a dirty name,and it shows when the rich, wont, pay their share of the riches,they demand from us….if ya dont like paying taxes, theres plenty of third world nations where ya can shit in a a bucket,and walk a dirt path to work.. go find one..
I read accusations of those discrepancies more than a year ago; primarily about the NYC Trump Tower where that infamous Hillary or Russians meeting was held. The information was not as detailed as this report is. It was also reported before the election that his tax documents, which IRS said could be released during an audit, would contain more detailed information about where throughout the world his developments are located and income levels (probably with those same discrepancies) would be listed.
He has never divested his interest in any of his business holdings, as is required of all presidents, so his recent tax filings would be more interesting and much more damning than those of those past years. Especially how much of his income is coming from our tax budget to support his “gold toilet” lifestyle and that of his family.
Trump is hiding his tax returns and all other income documents from the government and from the public simply because he is a thief and a liar. His many sex assault charges are probably hidden with those tax papers.
Conservatives see all efforts to defraud the government as an absolute good. You’re either “taking back what’s yours” or ” starving the beast.” Zero chance his tax issues cause him any problems within the party/with conservatives and libertarians. In fact, this new info probably helps Trump.
The most significant part of Trump’s tax giveaway was allowing corporate America to bring back their cash in other countries for a discounted rate of taxation. Hillary offered the same discount.
Then we have the Panama Papers, which shows how the Elite avoids taxes in this country and others. Amazingly, we only found a handful of U.S.’s Elite on this list.
Trump having two sets of books, isn’t surprising, and his base would approve since he would be considered “smart” for avoiding taxes that go to our federal government. Remember, most of the red states are the Nanny States — they depend on the federal government to exist, including Indiana. It’s illiteracy and hypocritical rolled into one.
The same base applauded Congress’s role in cutting the budget for the IRS making them less effective and catching crooks like Trump and his fellow Capitalists who do everything in their power to reduce their tax liability while average Americans pay taxes on their wages at a higher rate than most millionaires/billionaires.
When tax lawyers and accountants employed by our Oligarchs write the tax codes, what do you expect will happen?
Neoliberalism is cutting taxes on the wealthy and imposing austerity on the masses. The working class has been screwed since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Every Democratic president since has followed the same Neoliberal game plan. If Joe Biden is elected, he will do the same. The current system enriches old Joe and young Hunter, so why would they advocate for change?
What’s sad is the Democratic faithful who pulls a lever for any Democrat hoping for positive change but not getting it. I think the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. 😉
What’s funny is my community has the FBI investigating the Democratic Party for three years now and has made several arrests. The GOP faithful is screaming that Democrats are ruining this country with their corruptive ways. Yet, we have how many former Trump and Giuliani associates being arrested and jailed? 😉
Under Obama, how many corrupt bankers were arrested or jailed? -0- 😉
Both political parties in this country are rotten to the core, just like their Oligarchic manipulators, and our Fourth Estate (media) seems ineffective in holding them accountable.
This is why we have populist movements around the globe. People are waking up to the widespread corruption inherent in late-stage capitalism because it also morphs into Fascism with propaganda media.
It seems to me that Trump supporters don’t care about this issue because they too hold the government in contempt. Screwing the government by not paying taxes is the sure fire way to show ’em.
Well, Todd, who is to blame for your opinions about both parties? How rotten is a core? What is a core? When did it start? What were the turning points for both parties to become so rotten that our nation is plunged into a modern dark age?
Sorry, pal, your hopeless dystopia is the exact mirror image of Trump’s Inaugural address. It’s not as bad as you say or think, but it’s also not very good. Being a Democrat at least begins to tell the truth. Trump/Republicans have forgotten the meaning of the word.
Try to find some activity that brightens your day. You know, like knock on doors or go to a phone bank to register voters. Something useful…..
The Attorney General of New York is amassing a case that might just put him away for years. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
The Trump faithful will only change direction if they fear physical harm from his actions, like being on the losing end of a race war. Thus, our only chance is to accurately PREDICT and, most important, PROJECT that future in a documentary form before the calamity comes, much like the 1951 movie thriller, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
Todd,
“This is why we have populist movements around the globe. People are waking up to the widespread corruption inherent in late-stage capitalism because it also morphs into Fascism with propaganda media.”
Bulls-eye again. That’s exactly what happened to Germany in the 30s.
See “German Big Business & The Rise of Hitler” by Henry Ashby Turner (Oxford University Press, New York, 1985)
“The religion of inequality — of money and power — has failed us; its gods are false gods. There is something more essential — more profound — in the American experience than the hyena’s appetite. Once we recognize and nurture this, once we honor it, we can reboot democracy and get on with the work of liberating the country we carry in our hearts.”
Bill Moyers, September 15, 2016—-from MuncieVoice.com—-Todd’s website.
Wow! Sure am glad to have this blog to correct my understanding of history. All of these years I thought that Nazism came to power due to the strains put upon the German economy by their loss of WWI and the need to find a scapegoat. Silly me. All the time it was late-stage capitalism and big business.
Hey Marv, Todd, Vernon, LOL, it’s a hot time in the old town this morning!
Getting to taxes, Trump is well aware that Al Capone, with all of his horrifying shenanigans, was caught on taxes. The money Al Capone made was illegal. Smuggling alcohol, gambling and prostitution, kind of like Donald Trump’s grandfather, Al Capone did not admit to these things, so he didn’t pay taxes on them. That’s where he got nailed, not for the illegal things or the illicit activities he was involved in, not the amount of ill-gotten gains he acquired, he just didn’t pay taxes on them and went to jail.
You can best believe, you’ll be able to see Donald Trump did not pay taxes on his ill-gotten gains and illicit activities. He knows that he will lose whatever fortune he claims he has, or end up in prison.
As far as corruption, yes there is plenty of it! I’ve lived around the Chicago area most of my life, and there is plenty of corruption to go around. Illinois had 2 governors in prison at the same time, LOL. The lesson here is, they feel they can do the crime and never do the time. The problem is, things are so easy concerning illicit activities, they keep going back to the well over and over again. Eventually, somebody gets a wind of what’s happening and pays attention. I mean recording conversations/wiretapping, getting one or 2 of those involved to turn witness and act as an undercover stooge. Trying to save their own skin while throwing everyone else under the bus, LOL. It’s one thing to accept bribes for construction jobs and transportation issues, it’s another thing to use the power of the presidency for your own personal advocacy and enrichment.
Tough guys, conmen, flimflam artists, never go quietly, they cry like babies when they get caught. It would be the same with Trump, the only reason he feels he’s a tough guy, is that he has the power of the presidency behind them right now. Before, he could hire goons to slap people around or threaten folks.
Donald Trump loves the Nazi Kool-Aid, it tastes good, just his flavor, his father loved it too. The problem with that is, Adolf Hitler loved the taste of his own Kool-Aid, LOL. And effectively, through his mentally ill wartime decisions, lost battles and eventually the war. Donald Trump is drinking out of that same cup.
One last thought, Jesus Christ said, in Luke 16:10; “the person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much.”
Too bad most of the evangelical crew is just as corrupt as their new Messiah, because Christ let it be known, these people will not inherit anything but death.
This is mentioned in James 1:14-15; “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
This means all illicit desires, illicit coveting, cheating, stealing, games of confidence and the like. Too bad they don’t believe their own religious belief, SMH.
Theresa; guess we read the same lying history books and all documentation that preceded the start of the war and all that followed!
JoAnn, I just started re-reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Glad I don’t have to finish that tome!
Theresa,
It wasn’t just one thing that brought about Adolph Hitler. Movements need funding and German capitalists provided much of it. No one has ruled out the effect of WWI and the need to find a scapegoat. It’s where you place your emphasis, for example, many Jewish historians center on the need to find a scapegoat as one might and should expect.
I have been suggesting for years that “capitalism as currently practiced” is headed for the dustbin of history unless reformed and publicly and stringently regulated and, unfortunately, it appears I may be right. Thus we have millennials who are not now susceptible to fears of “socialism,” libertarian politicians who tell us in essence that the Constitution is unconstitutional and/or inapplicable to their greedy pursuits etc. The libertarians (formerly known as Republicans) are getting by with it due to Wall Street pretense, propaganda and invisible hand worship (supply and demand, “free trade” and other meaningless slogans for this day and age) with big Wall Street banks who tell us they can be trusted to be self-regulating (“Leave it to the market to sift out etc.”). We have been to that show before, like 1929 (The Great Depression) and 2008 (Bush’s Great Recession involving massive mortgage fraud by and bailouts for the big banks). Greed and regulation are oil and water – never to mix.
The fundamental issue comes down to whose economy is it. I believe the economy belongs to all of us and that big banks and corporate America are mere participants in it, as we all are; that it is our economy, not theirs; that we are all stakeholders in how we are to run this enterprise, not just corporate boards and chambers of commerce. Lately at a conclave of the elite 195 CEOs have agreed or pretended to have agreed that there are more stakeholders in our economy than the corporate shareholders they serve (see contra: Milton Friedman), that the interests of workers, buyers, communities in which corporate enterprises are sited etc. are to be considered in their boardrooms, and not just “shareholder value.”
Color me suspicious. I attribute such gentle language to the gleam of pitchforks, millennial embrace of socialism etc. Unlike some, and in the face of historic wage and wealth inequality, I still hold on to the fleeting hope that capitalism as currently practiced can be reformed and fairly serve all of the stakeholders in our economy. Time (and unrelenting resistance to greed) will tell.
Vernon – when did you first become a therapist?
You know, this crew has a lot of years of wisdom and brain cells…surely there is some understanding in here that old history and our history are complex and that change automatically creates winners and losers.
Maybe we need a good ‘ol hard recession to get everyday folks off their duffs and into the streets (peacefully) to demand some real change. Since they are too bemused to vote…
Gerald,
” I still hold on to the fleeting hope that capitalism as currently practiced can be reformed and fairly serve all of the stakeholders in our economy. Time (and unrelenting resistance to greed) will tell.”
That’s my wish also. We need to remember, although Capitalism can morph into Fascism, it also goes for Socialism, as it can morph into Communism.
Lester,
I’ve never been a therapist. What caused you to say that? If I WAS a therapist, I’d suggest you find someone else to hammer. I DO know these bloggers have a lot of wisdom….and opinions. BUT as a scientist, if those “opinions” are not peer-reviewed and critiqued, they are worthless to all.
Todd always has strong opinions, 80% of which I agree with. You? I haven’t read much from you to decide one way or another. Maybe you could read one or all of my 5 books on the subjects at hand and decide for yourself.
Lester,
“Maybe we need a good ‘ol hard recession to get everyday folks off their duffs and into the streets (peacefully) to demand some real change.”
That’s the best remedy that I’ve heard so far. Since the recession is now in motion, it might not be that long before you get your wish.
Vernon – apologies, was trying to be funny about your comment to Todd “try to find some activity to brighten your day”. Thought maybe you were doing a Marianne Williamson thing….
I shall retire my standup before it gets out of hand…
Todd, I would agree with you, the GOP will applaud President Agent Orange’s tax manipulations. It would prove how smart he is and also, he is screwing the government. The fact that their tax burden is more to pay the freight, would escape them. One of the Reactionary Right’s principles is to starve the government.
What we see here with President Agent Orange is the ineptitude either by design or a lack of resources for the IRS, SEC to catch people like President Agent Orange, most likely both. A different type of criminal Jeffrey Epstein (pimp for the rich) navigated the “system” rather well for decades.
The oligarchs one way or another are protected. Eric Holder’s infamous – Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail, told us all we need to know about the Criminal Justice System for the 1% and Corporate AmeriKa.
The Panama Papers laid it for all to see, how the 1% escape and evade paying taxes.
President Agent Orange is a target of opportunity – the one bad apple excuse. The Government may not be corrupt itself, it is an inert institution until activated for some reason and this is the key – It has to be activated by someone.
Marv – Your observation that a recession is in our near future is likely true. The libertarians (aka Republicans) want to confuse total income with median household income, as in > “Look at all the income this economy is producing. We are prosperous. Vote for our candidates.” It is not income but rather its distribution that lays waste to this claim, a claim by those who are unfairly hogging such income in a relatively taxless atmosphere, an atmosphere where for the first time as announced just recently that the middle class is paying at a higher tax rate than the superrich, a result hardly in consonance with the promise of “progressive taxation” when the IRC was adopted in 1913.
The coming recession is partly the result of our failure to correct wage and wealth inequality, an unaddressed scab on our economy which reduces aggregate demand which in turn reduces economic growth. Other factors include international slowdown, Brexit, a leaderless USA, protectionist tariffs and the like. There is an old saying that if a tree will not bend in a windstorm it will break. Perhaps that has application to capitalism as currently practiced.
Monotonous,
“President Agent Orange is a target of opportunity. The Government may not be corrupt itself, it is an inert institution until activated for some reason and this is the key – It has to be activated by someone.”
I’m in total agreement. It’s all about targeting. Importantly, we both have served in the military. I’ve done many things, but I’ve always have felt being an ex-artillery officer was the most important, as I learned how imperative it was to successfully, calibrate on your target before FFE [firing for effect].
There can’t be any Americans left who are unaware that Donald Trump has stolen from all of us who pay taxes. Way more from some than others.
We got all revengeful when Bernie Madoff did the same from some of us but with the criminal tools he’s so well known for Trump made himself President.
The choice left for us is to accept that level of criminality or establish a public standard of intolerance of it.
You know, capitalism is not saintly, Todd is right in that regard. We tend to let things slide because as being mortal, generations die, time passes, people forget. That’s one reason why the wheel gets reinvented constantly!
It wasn’t just German companies that participated in the Holocaust, it was worldwide including the United States and England.
Standard oil, Deutsche Bank, Bayer, Barklay’s bank, Chase national Bank, ITT, IBM, Ford motor company (Ford WERKE used an endless supply of slave labor) Hitler even kept a life-size portrait of Henry Ford next to his desk. James Mooney, (General Motors vice president of overseas operations awarded the Nazi merit cross 1st class)
Global research states; “Nazis were also apparently inspired by America’s treatment of Native Americans. Specifically, retired Major in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, Todd E. Pierce – who researched and reviewed the complete records of military commissions held during the Civil War and stored at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. as part of his assignment in the Office of Chief Defense Counsel, Office of Military Commissions – notes:
Stories of the American conquest of Native Americans with its solution of placing them on reservations were particularly popular in Germany early in the Twentieth Century including with Adolf Hitler.”https://www.globalresearch.ca/secret-history-the-u-s-supported-and-inspired-the-nazis/5439236
Interestingly, the US government actively backed the Nazis in the Ukraine 70 years ago.
Coca-Cola made special sodas for the Nazis, Fanta was invented for Nazi era Germans.
Kodak used slave laborers from concentration camps on several of their European branches.
Ford and General Motors were also involved in producing wartime equipment for the Nazi war machine, various overland vehicles and parts for bombers. So yes there are no Saints here. Have these capitalists learned their lesson from history? Absolutely not, the reason they thrive is because history forgets or is manipulated.
Pete,
We weren’t scared to prosecute Bernie Madoff. That’s not the case with Donald Trump. Madoff wasn’t a POLITICAL CRIMINAL, that’s not the case with Trump.
Can you imagine prosecuting Adolph Hitler, especially, when he was still in power? I can’t.
Actually, one person did attempt to prosecute Hitler after forcing him into a court appearance. I doubt if you remember him. He died in a concentration camp.
When I was taught it was recognized and accepted that what capitalism required in order to serve society was simple. Competition.
What makes that more complex is that there are markets in which competition is inherently limited and competition in the markets that are suited to it require constant dynamic regulation as corporations constantly search for ways to eliminate it. It also requires progressive taxes to redistribute back the wealth that capitalism redistributes up.
Hence the mixed economy as the only survivor of the economic utopia experiments of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Society needs capitalism. Society needs socialism. Capitalism needs competition. Competition needs regulation.
Why do we have to learn these simple lessons over and over again?
In remembrance:
HANS LITTEN 1903-1945 at Dachau
“Crossing Hitler: The Man Who Put the Nazis on the Witness Stand” by Benjamin Carter Hett (Oxford University Press, New York, 2008) from the front flap:
“Litten was a truly extraordinary figure, embodying some of the complexities of his age. The son of a prominent law dean who refused to acknowledge his Jewish roots, and of a mother descended from Lutheran ministers. Litten espoused both Judaism and radical left-wing politics. When he began to practice law he deliberately took on cases that brought him into direct conflict with Nazi ambition.” front flap
“Hans Litton himself wrote about the “double edge of the deed,” the impossibility of taking righteous action without doing harm. His life and his work forced him and others, repeatedly and with ever-increasing severity, to confront the question of how much to risk when morality becomes a life-or-death matter. The redemptive side of his story lies in the frequency with which he and his friends and family chose the dangerous answers over the safe ones.” p. 10
In my book, Hans Litton is what a, real honest to goodness, hero looks like.
And the Redhats love him for it.
How long must we play this game of Russian Roulette with Trump holding a fully loaded AK-47 rather than a handgun and it is aimed at all Americans? We lost one of our greatest statesmen during the night; Representative Elijah Cummings fought for civil rights for all; including the likes of Donald Trump. He did not put his life on the line so our lives would be in the cross hairs of our own president. I have not seen a Tweet from Trump to recognize our loss. Knowing his views of all Democrats or all who disagree with him; this may be for the best.
I just watched the MSNBC interview with Sen. Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, regarding the disastrous meeting yesterday with Trump. It was a meeting of minds hoping to find a solution to the international problems caused by Trump abusing his power…again; and the meeting began with Trump slamming his files on the table and he began the meeting with a lie…again. He stated they had called the meeting to talk, told them to talk; per Sen. Menendez they had been INVITED to the meeting with Trump. None of his cabinet members spoke up to support him or speak against his slanderous comments about General Mattis or the disrespect he displayed to those across the table.
Is it going to take another direct attack on this country as we experienced on 9/11? Will it take another Bay of Pigs situation with our powerful weapons stored in Turkey and guarded by our troops? As our own troops are in danger of being bombed because of his egotistical removal of our troops; in the Kurdish area to protect all humanity from ISIS regrouping and regaining their powerful control over Syria, the administration sits mute and idle. What will it take to force the Republicans into action in Washington, D.C. before our military is forced into a “boots on the ground” situation in this country?
Somehow his tax papers don’t seem too important to me.
Enjoyable reading does not have to be political science when it comes to accounting, not accountability, law not rule of law. I enjoyed the introduction to the 2019 tax booklets for our universal RESIDENTIAL 1040 reports. Thanks.
Trump has always been a criminal enterprise and we’ve known it for decades.
The decision in 2020 is the choice between the return to a criminal enterprise as President or a qualified competent uncorrupted statesperson. Believe it or not that’s a tough decision for some
Americans lusting for power over the majority. We know that Putin and some of his Republican supporters will work tirelessly to impose the power of criminality on us and we are obligated to work harder to prevent that.
There’s little to be gained by making it more complicated than that.
Pete @ 1:40 >> “Trump has always been a criminal enterprise and we’ve known it for decades.”
If that is the case than what I wrote above is probably correct:
“The Government may not be corrupt itself, it is an inert institution until activated for some reason and this is the key – It has to be activated by someone.”
I would surmise since as you say, “we’ve known it for decades” those with the power to investigate then Citizen Agent Orange decided not to. What Citizen Agent Orange, like Epstein probably did was ingratiated themselves to various people of wealth, influence and power.
Bernie Madoff is a great example of bungling by the government for years.
While awaiting sentencing, Madoff met with the SEC’s Inspector General, H. David Kotz, who conducted an investigation into how regulators had failed to detect the fraud despite numerous red flags.
Madoff said he could have been caught in 2003, but that bumbling investigators had acted like “Lt. Colombo” and never asked the right questions:
I was astonished. They never even looked at my stock records. If investigators had checked with The Depository Trust Company, a central securities depository, it would’ve been easy for them to see. If you’re looking at a Ponzi scheme, it’s the first thing you do.
After Madoff’s arrest, the SEC was criticized for its lack of financial expertise and lack of due diligence, despite having received complaints from Harry Markopolos and others for almost a decade.
The SEC’s Inspector General, Kotz, found that since 1992, there had been six investigations of Madoff by the SEC, which were botched either through incompetent staff work or by neglecting allegations of financial experts and whistle-blowers.
Just a minor correction (don’t mean to sound nit-picky). I believe the quote was “…when you’re a celebrity, they let you do it…”. Aside from that, thank-you for this explication. I’d heard or seen rumblings about the two sets of books (common practice for common tax cheats, i.e. petty criminals), but hadn’t had the time or patience to investigate what it related to, in the midst of the Corruption Sunami. I hope it’s not a federal charge that he, his enablers, or successors, can exonerate him for! This may not rate mention at the level of the Impeachment Inquiry, but a vocal publicizing of his tax fraud from the municipal- and state-level prosecution will help accelerate the abandonment of his sinking ship by former Trump-rats.