Westchester DA Investigating Trump's Golf Club: Report

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — The county District Attorney's Office is investigating the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, ABC News reported Wednesday.

Records have been subpoenaed from the club in Briarcliff Manor, plus the town of Ossining, which is in charge of assessing property values, the media outlet reported.

Taxes are apparently at the heart of the probe; the Trump Organization said in response to ABC News:

"The Club's request for a review of its tax assessments was amicably resolved earlier this year and signed off by the Town Board, the Town Assessor, Special Counsel for the Town ... the Briarcliff Manor School District, the Office of the Westchester County Attorney and the Westchester County Supreme Court judge presiding over the matter. Accordingly, the suggestion that anything was inappropriate is completely false and incredibly irresponsible. The witch hunt continues."

The DA's office had no comment, Director of Communications Jess Vecchiarelli told Patch.

Issues with the club's property taxes go back to before Trump ran for president.

According to its website: "Trump National Golf Club Westchester is a private club located just outside New York City. We offer five star private club amenities all within a friendly and family oriented atmosphere. Our property features the largest pool in Westchester County and an impressive Tennis Facility with har-tru surface courts fully surrounded by stunning stone."

The 147-acre property was valued by the tax assessor at $35 million before the Great Recession.

That assessment was slashed by town officials when Trump's lawyers asked for tax relief. In 2015 the club was valued for tax purposes at only $13.5 million. It rose to $15.1 million in 2016.

However, Trump Organization lawyers argued that the golf club was only worth $1.35 million. SEE: Trump Seeks 90% Cut in Property Taxes on His Westchester Golf Club.

"He's going to pass the tax burden on to everybody else," Ossining Receiver of Taxes Gloria Fried said at the time.

Meanwhile, in 2016 the then-Republican presidential candidate listed the value of the private club as being worth in excess of $50 million on a candidate disclosure form, according to Eyewitness News.

SEE: Trump Golf Club Value Plummets When it Comes to Taxes

In 2017, the Trump Organization's lawyers were seeking a cut in the club's assessed value to $7.5 million, Patch reported.

After six years of fighting about it, in July the Ossining Town Board voted to accept the results of the Trump Organization's court case (called a tax certiorari) with five years of back-dated reductions for the club. The reduction for each previous year, not coming to the village, town and school district:

• 2016 - $4,124,300
• 2017 - $4,874,300
• 2018 - $5,509,800
• 2019 - $5,509,800
• 2020 -$3,950,000

The final assessed value for 2021: $9.5 million.

"We know a lot of eyes have been on this case since it started, and this resolution tonight is to approve the settlement that has been reached by our respective attorneys and has already been approved by the Briarcliff School District," Ossining Town Supervisor Levenberg said at the time. "The Town used an independent appraiser and outside legal counsel with expertise in tax certioraris to advise and represent the Town in this proceeding. Both of these firms, along with the Town’s Assessor, recommend that the Town Board approve this settlement as they believe it is the prudent and fiscally responsible course for the Town.

"The Town Board has a fiduciary duty to the Town, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of the Town’s taxpayers for several reasons, including it avoids what would be a lengthy and costly litigation as well as the possibility that the Town would not prevail in the litigation, in which case the Town would end up worse off in both the short- and long-term.

"Also, although both sides “gave back” during the negotiation, the settlement values are closer to those presented by the Town than the Golf Club. Thank you to our Special Counsel Steve Dewey and Assessor Fernando Gonzalez for assisting us in navigating this complicated issue, and we feel this decision is in the best interest of the Town and its residents and businesses."

SEE ALSO:

• Trump, Briarcliff Manor Fight over Flood Damage Bill
• 'Pay Your Taxes March' At Trump National Golf Club In Briarcliff Manor
• Trump's Westchester Golf Club Fired Illegal Workers During Shutdown
• Architect for Trump's Briarcliff Golf Club Speaks Out

Editor's Note: This article has been revised to include information about the result of the Trump National Golf Club Westchester's tax certiorari case and the statement by Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg.