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- Trump’s longtime accountants cut him off Monday, saying his financial declarations were unreliable.
- It also said it hadn’t received information about an apartment owned by Trump Org. security chief Matthew Calamari Jr.
- He was asked to testify in the Manhattan DA’s investigation into whether Trump Org. gave tax-free perks.
The accounting firm Mazars USA said the Trump Organization dragged its feet in providing tax information about an apartment owned by Matthew Calamari Jr., the company’s security chief.
The detail was mentioned in a letter from Mazars USA, former President Donald Trump’s longtime accountants, that said it would no longer do business with the Trump Organization and that ten years of his financial statements were unreliable.
The letter was filed as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into possible financial malpractice at the Trump Organization. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is conducting a parallel criminal inquiry into possible tax fraud at the company.
Calamari Jr. is the head of security at the Trump Organization and the son of Matthew Calamari, the Trump Organization’s COO. The attorney representing the pair told Insider last June that he did not expect either to face criminal charges as part of the Manhattan district attorney’s inquiry.
According to Mazars, the company was unable to complete Trump’s tax filings because financial information about the Calamari Jr.’s apartment had not been provided.
“We believe the only information left to complete those returns is the information regarding the Matt Calimari Jr. [sic] apartment,” Mazars executive William J. Kelly wrote in the letter.
“As you know, Donald Bender [Trump’s accountant] has been asking for this information for several months but has not received it.”
Neither the Mazars letter nor Attorney General James specified exactly what information was needed from Calamari Jr. and how, if at all, the missing information might link to the ongoing tax-fraud investigation.
Calamari Jr. was called to testify before a grand jury last September as part of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into how the Trump Organization may have broken tax laws by handing out valuable fringe benefits, like apartments and cars, to employees.
He received immunity from criminal prosecution for testifying, The Daily Beast reported.
Nicholas Gravante, an attorney representing the Calamaris, told Insider that his client did not know why the information requested by the accountants had not been provided.
“If there has been a delay, he has no idea why. He was given immunity and provided everything asked of him,” Gravante said. “His tax returns for all of the years in question were 100% accurate in all respects. Their accuracy has been verified by tax and accounting experts.”
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Mazars noted in its letter that the financial statements it declared invalid did not contain material discrepancies, but “we believe our advice to you to no longer rely upon those financial statements is appropriate.”
The Trump Organization said on Monday that the lack of material discrepancies suggests the investigations by the New York attorney general and Manhattan district attorney were invalid.
“Mazars’ work was performed in accordance with all applicable accounting standards and principles and that such statements of financial condition do not contain any material discrepancies. This confirmation effectively renders the investigations by the DA and AG moot,” the Trump Organization said.
Trump has long denied any wrongdoing and claimed the two investigations were politically motivated.
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