The 2016 presidential election is somewhat unique because both candidates have undergone investigations due to criminal cases and lawsuits during the election itself. In other years, even rumors of sexual misconduct and fraud scandals have ended politician’s’ candidacies. However, Republican candidate Donald Trump has somehow managed to remain in the race despite his numerous sexual assault and tax evasion cases. More information is being revealed that shows Trump may be facing yet another charge.
Trump is now the target of a criminal tax complaint charging him with tax evasion and fraud. The amount listed in the suit is a staggering $32 million. In a surprising turn of events, this suit is actually coming from another country. Typically, Trump evades taxes by doing schemes in foreign areas, but this time, his behavior is causing an international incident.
An official in Mexico is filing charges related to Trump’s involvement in a failed real estate project. Trump promoted a promised resort area called “Trump Ocean Resort.” Investors bought roughly $32.5 million in future developed properties, but the project collapsed before they even started construction. He is now facing lawsuits because many Mexican investors feel that he fraudulently promised financial returns on a project that he never intended to complete. The only reparations ever made ocurred when Trump agreed to return one fifth of the invested money to the defrauded investors as part of a settlement.
Trump is not just in trouble in Mexico for defrauding investors. It turns out that he never paid taxes on his gains from the failed project. Though the project made quite a bit of money, no taxes were ever paid to the government. Therefore, Jaime Martinez Veloz, a former member of Mexico’s Congress, has filed a formal federal criminal tax fraud complaint. The Trump campaign has not commented on these new lawsuits and charges.
Much of Trump’s campaign has been based on the premise that he is a successful businessman who will decrease the national debt. However, even the slightest examination of his business practices show that most of his success comes from breaking laws and taking advantage of those who work with him. That sort of behavior may have made Trump some money in the 80s, but it has no place in the modern political world.
Not only does this new lawsuit portray Trump’s ethics in a negative light, but it also has some concerning diplomatic implications. Trump has already caused a great deal of controversy and outrage in Mexico with his claims that all Mexicans are criminals and his attempts to make Mexico pay for a wall across the shared border. It could potentially be disastrous to have a president who is guilty of criminal and civil charges in the nation that shares a border with the United States.