(NEW YORK) — A New York appellate court on Tuesday dismissed a portion of the New York attorney general’s civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and other members of the Trump Organization.
New York Attorney General Letitia James last year sued Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., alleging they, their father and certain Trump Organization executives schemed to adjust the value of the family real estate portfolio when pursuing loans or seeking tax breaks. The lawsuit seeks $250 million.
The New York Appellate Division’s First Department on Tuesday dismissed the claims against Ivanka Trump, ruling that the statute of limitations in her case had expired because she was no longer part of the Trump Organization by 2016.
“The allegations against defendant Ivanka Trump do not support any claims that accrued after February 6, 2016. Thus, all claims against her should have been dismissed as untimely,” the decision said.
The lawsuit will proceed against the other defendants.
“There is a mountain of evidence that shows Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for significant economic gain,” said a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office following Tuesday’s ruling. “Those facts haven’t changed.”
For at least a decade, from 2011 to 2021, the lawsuit alleged that Trump’s financial statements were riddled with false and misleading valuations across nearly two dozen properties, including his Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago.
The Trumps have denied wrongdoing and former President Trump has cast the state attorney general as motivated by politics.
Marco Piraccini/Archivio Marco Piraccini/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
(LOS ANGELES) — The remains of Julian Sands have been found after the British actor was reported missing in the mountains of Southern California earlier this year, authorities said.
The 65-year-old Los Angeles resident disappeared while hiking Mount Baldy, the highest peak among the San Gabriel Mountains, located outside of Los Angeles. He was reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on the evening of Jan. 13, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Unidentified human remains discovered by hikers on Saturday near where Sands went missing were positively identified as his, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.
“The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Ground and air search efforts occurred in the weeks following his disappearance before the search was temporarily suspended due to weather conditions.
Search efforts resumed on June 17, employing volunteers, deputies, helicopters and drone crews, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.
“Despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement at the time. “Multiple areas include steep terrain and ravines, which still have 10-plus feet of ice and snow.”
Sands’ family released a statement on Jan. 23 amid search efforts, expressing “heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian” and several other “heroic search teams … who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home.”
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support,” the family added.
Sands made dozens of appearances in both television and movies since the 1980s, including as George Emerson — opposite Helena Bonham-Carter’s Lucy — in the 1985 Academy Award-winning film “A Room with a View.” Sands also starred in “Warlock,” “Leaving Las Vegas” and a 1998 adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” as the title character.
ABC News’ Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
(NEWTON, Mass.) — It was supposed to be a day of celebration with the renewal of the wedding vows they took 50 years ago, but when Bruno and Gilda “Jill” D’Amore failed to show up for the ceremony at their church on Sunday, a friend went to their Newton, Massachusetts, home and discovered the couple and Jill D’Amore’s 97-year-old mother stabbed and bludgeoned to death, authorities said.
Now, questions are swirling around why a 41-year-old man arrested Monday and charged in the triple homicide allegedly targeted the three elderly victims, described by their parish priest as “salt of the earth people.”
The suspect, Christopher Ferguson, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Newton District Court on one count of murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. Ferguson’s attorney, Dmitry Lev, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The single murder count is based on an autopsy by the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which ruled 73-year-old Jill D’Amore’s death to be a homicide, Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Nicole Allain said in court. The autopsies for Jill D’Amore’s husband, 74-year-old Bruno D’Amore, and her mother, Lucia Arpino, are scheduled to be completed later Tuesday, and prosecutors said they anticipate filing two more murder counts against Ferguson.
Ferguson attended the hearing via Zoom. Lev did not object to the prosecution’s request to hold Ferguson without bail. Ferguson’s next court date is scheduled for July 25.
The brutal crime has shaken to the core residents in the Boston-area city ranked in a 2022 SafeWise report as the second safest city for families in America.
“At this time, we know of no established connections between the family members and Mr. Ferguson,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a Monday night news conference announcing Ferguson’s arrest.
Police have described the crime as a possible “random” act of violence.
Ryan disclosed that an autopsy performed on Jill D’Amore determined she suffered more than 30 stab and blunt force trauma injuries, primarily to the upper part of her body and head. The prosecutor also said investigators found obvious signs of an intense struggle in one of the bedrooms of the D’Amore home, including broken furniture and a crystal paperweight covered in blood.
Ryan said video surveillance footage from a home near the D’Amore residence captured Ferguson in the neighborhood at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday shirtless, barefooted and walking with a staggering gait.
The prosecutor said several Newton police officers recognized Ferguson from prior contact with him. She said Ferguson is believed to live at a residence four-tenths of a mile from the D’Amore’s home.
A neighbor of the suspect told ABC Boston affiliate station WCVB that Ferguson “struggles with mental health issues.
“He needed more help than he was getting and people who love him dearly were trying to make that happen,” the neighbor said.
Ryan said Ferguson was hospitalized for an undisclosed reason following his arrest, but she declined to comment when asked about his possible mental health problems.
A friend found the bodies just after 10 a.m. on Sunday, Allain said in court. She said the friend entered the home through an unlocked side door and found all three family members dead in one bedroom and called 911.
Allain said police investigators found signs of a break-in in the basement of the D’Amore’s home.
“There was a window that was opened and screens were pulled out,” Allain said. “There was also a door on the garage which was open and there was a window screen that was dislodged there.”
Allain said forensics investigators used the chemical agent leucocrystal violet which enhances the visability of non-visible blood and found bare footprints on the tile floor in a hallway between the bedroom where the bodies were found and the kitchen door with blood droplets next to them. She said state police investigators determined that at least one of the footprints found in the hallway matched Ferguson’s footprint, which was obtained through a court-ordered warrant.
Allain said at least that footprints matching Ferguson were found inside the D’Amore home. She said fingerprints were taken from several of the windows and doorknobs of the home, which are still being analyzed.
The last time anyone had communication with the D’Amores was about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Allain said.
As investigators attempt to determine a motive in the slayings, those who knew Bruno and Jill D’Amore and Arpino are mourning their deaths.
“Three beloved parishioners — salt of the earth people, just great, great people — and it’s a terrible tragedy,” Rev. Dan Riley of Our Lady Help of Christians told WCVB.
Riley said the D’Amores were scheduled to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary and renew their vows at a ceremony scheduled Our Lady Help of Christians following Mass on Sunday morning.
“When they didn’t show up — I can’t go into the details about who discovered them — but we became notified, and myself and a number of the staff spent the day there” at the D’Amore home, Riley said.
In a statement released Monday by Our Lady Help of Christians Church called the slayings a “senseless act of violence.”
The D’Amores were the parents of three grown children and were dedicated to serving their church, according to the statement. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Arpino never missed a 10 a.m. mass in her more than 60 years as a parishioner, the statement said. Arpino and her late husband, Alberto Arpino, who died in 2014 at the age of 87, attended services together, always sitting in the north end section of the church, according to the statement.
Lucia Arpino participated in the church’s Mt. Carmel Festival weekend every summer, walking in the festival’s procession through the streets of her neighborhood in the Nonantum section of Newton well into her 90s, the statement reads.
Jill D’Amore took on the task of beautifying the church, spending countless hours caring for the flowers and decorations for the liturgical sessions, according to the statement. Bruno D’Amore was known for his big voice and “exuberant personality,” the statement says. He was also described as the church’s “head chef,” flipping burgers at church picnics, according to the statement.
The couple is also survived by five grandchildren, according to the statement.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in a statement that the slayings of the three family members have impacted residents of the community far beyond their church.
“I have heard from so many neighbors and friends about how much these three people meant to their tight-knit neighborhood. I speak for the people of Newton when I say our hearts and prayers are with you,” Fuller said of the family of the D’Amores and Arpino.
(CHICAGO) — Canadian wildfire smoke is infiltrating the Midwest on Tuesday and the air in Chicago has deteriorated to the Air Quality Index’s “very unhealthy” category.
The AQI in hazy Chicago reached 209 on Tuesday afternoon. Any number over 100 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warned in a statement Tuesday, “We recommend children, teens, seniors, people with heart or lung disease, and individuals who are pregnant avoid strenuous activities and limit their time outdoors. For additional precautions, all Chicagoans may also consider wearing masks, limiting their outdoor exposure, moving activities indoors, running air purifiers, and closing windows.”
The worst air quality in the world Tuesday morning was in Wisconsin.
The state’s Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide air quality advisory in effect until Thursday.
On Tuesday afternoon the AQI in Milwaukee registered in the “very unhealthy” category.
“The most significant air quality and health impacts are anticipated between noon on Tuesday, 6/27 and noon on Wednesday, 6/28,” Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources said. “This is a dynamic situation, and conditions may change rapidly over the next few days. It is important to pay close attention to the air quality in your area and take action, especially if you don’t feel well.”
Earlier this month the Canadian wildfire smoke drifted toward the Northeast, blanketing New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in a dangerous orange haze and prompting serious air quality alerts in over a dozen states. On June 7 New York City’s AQI hit 484, the highest level on record.
(OCALA, Fla.) — The family of Ajike “AJ” Owens, the Black woman who was killed by her neighbor on June 2 in Florida, called on prosecutors to upgrade the charges against Susan Lorincz from manslaughter to second-degree murder during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
Lorincz, who is white, has been charged with first-degree felony manslaughter in the death of her neighbor, Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four who was fatally shot on June 2 through the door of the suspect’s home when she confronted her in a dispute over where her children were playing, according to prosecutors.
Anthony Thomas, an attorney for the Owens family, told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday that the family was “deeply disappointed” by the charges, but “our resolve remains unwavering, and we will continue to fight.”
“We are devastated,” Owens’ mother Pamela Dias said in a statement to ABC News. “How do I explain to AJ’s children, my young grandbabies, that the loss of their mother’s life is still not being taken seriously? Only a living breathing AJ would be true justice, and today’s charge could not be further from that.”
Lorincz, 58, was arrested on June 6 and the family has been calling for murder charges to be filed in this case, but Florida State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson said there was insufficient evidence to prove such a charge in court.
Lorincz allegedly fired a shot through the door of her Ocala, Florida, home, killing the 35-year-old Owens in front of her 10-year-old son after Owens banged on the door of Lorincz’s home, according to police.
Gladson announced Monday his office has formally charged Lorincz with one count of felony first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. If convicted, Lorincz faces 30 years in prison, Gladson said.
“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” Gladson said.
According to a June 6 statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz shot Owens through a door after the mother of four went to speak with Lorincz about a dispute over Owens’ children playing near Lorincz’s home.
“Evidence gathered during the investigation established that over a period of time, Lorincz had become angry at Owens’ children who were playing in a field close to her home,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on June 6. The sheriff’s office said that Lorincz “engaged in an argument with the children and was overhead yelling at them by a neighbor.”
“The children then went and told their mother, Owens, about what had happened,” the sheriff’s office said. “Owens approached Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door multiple times, and demanded that Lorincz come outside. Lorincz then fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in her upper chest. At the time she was shot, Owens’ 10-year-old son was standing beside her.”
According to the sheriff’s office, Lorincz claimed in her interview with police that she was acting in “self-defense” and claimed that Owens was trying to “break down her door,” but through the investigation “detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law.”
“The family will continue to not only advocate for accountability in all forms, but they also will continue to say her name so that Florida officials remember this tragic loss of life. There is still much that needs to be done to make Florida a place where Black women and children feel safe and protected,” Crump said in a statement to ABC News in response to the charges.
Lorincz’s attorney could not be reached for comment. Lorincz has entered a not guilty plea. Her next court hearing is set for July 11.
Gladson said the decision on what to charge Lorincz with was carefully examined. He said he concluded that a second-degree murder charge would require prosecutors to prove beyond reasonable doubt “the existence of a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing.”
“Depraved mind requires evidence of hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent toward the victim at the time of the killing,” Gladson said in a statement.
Gladson added, “As is always true in criminal cases, failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt even one element of a crime will result in a not guilty verdict.”
“I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members, that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder. My obligation as State Attorney is to follow the law in each case that I prosecute,” Gladson said. “I did so in this case, and while some may not agree with that decision, I can assure you that the decision was thoughtful and made without consideration of any factors other than the specific facts of this terrible crime. Simply stated, my obligation is to follow the law.”
Owens’ son alleged in an interview with investigators that the shooting unfolded after Lorincz threw a skate at him but did not hit him when she found him and other children playing in a field outside her home, and became angry, according to Gladson.
Lorincz initially claimed she acted in self-defense, alleging Owens attacked her in the past, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods. According to a police report, Lorincz also told investigators that she did not intend to hit Owens when she fired the gun.
But in a video statement released the day Lorincz was arrested, Woods said the shooting was not a stand-your-ground self-defense case but “simply a killing.”
Owens’ death sparked protests and demands that Lorincz be arrested immediately. National civil rights attorney Ben Crump agreed to represent the Owens family.
It took sheriff’s officials about a week after the shooting before they arrested Lorincz, who was jailed on suspicion of manslaughter and held without bail.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a national civil rights leader and president of the National Action Network, slammed Gladson’s decision not to file murder charges in the case.
“The legal system failed AJ Owens and her family today by refusing to recognize that this brazen shooting was plain murder,” Sharpton said in a statement. “It was an outrageous decision to not bring murder charges against a shooter who fired blindly through the door. Florida officials have failed AJ throughout this entire process.”
Sharpton called on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the shooting as a federal hate crime.
“We urge the DOJ to intervene in this case, so the appropriate level of justice is delivered for AJ and her family,” Sharpton said.
PHOTO: A photo of Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell after his death, Aug. 10, 2019, released by the Department of Justice. A photo of Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell after his death, Aug. 10, 2019, released by the Department of Justice. — Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, City of New York via DOJ
(NEW YORK) — A new Justice Department Inspector General report details the failures that occurred beginning one month before Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while in custody of the Bureau of Prisons. The report also makes clear that foul play was not possible.
When officers discovered Epstein unresponsive in his cell on Aug. 10, 2019, Officer Michael Thomas, who was charged criminally in the case, said, “Breathe, Epstein, Breathe,” according to the new report issued Tuesday.
When Thomas saw Epstein dangling from the bed, he said, “We’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” according to the report.
Epstein died by hanging at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The disgraced financier hanged himself in his jail cell with an orange noose he fashioned from “a sheet or a shirt,” the report said.
When Epstein’s room was searched after his death, investigators found extra bedsheets, another mattress and a noose, according to the report.
On Aug. 10, the Inspector General said Epstein was in his cell at 8 p.m. Officials said he made an unrecorded call on a landline that was not monitored by prison communications. Epstein told the officers he was calling his mother, according to the report, but she had died before that date. The report said staffers should have been monitoring this call made by Epstein.
After 10:40 p.m., Epstein was not checked on nor was he monitored until officers discovered him hanging from his cell, according to the report.
Epstein first attempted suicide in custody on July 23, 2019, and the Inspector General report said Bureau of Prisons employees should have been put on alert then.
On July 30, the Inspector General said an email was sent to 70 staffers of the prison physiological unit instructing that Epstein was to be housed with a cellmate. But the Inspector General said that warning went unheeded by Bureau of Prisons staff so that when his cellmate was moved on Aug. 8, another inmate was not placed there.
The Inspector General makes clear that Epstein’s death was in fact a suicide.
“The Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy detailed for the OIG [Office of Inspector General] why Epstein’s injuries were more consistent with, and indicative of, a suicide by hanging rather than a homicide by strangulation,” the report said. “The Medical Examiner also told the OIG that the ligature furrow was too broad to have been caused by the electrical cord of the medical device in Epstein’s cell and that blood toxicology tests revealed no medications or illegal substances were in Epstein’s system. The Medical Examiner also noted the absence of debris under Epstein’s fingernails, marks on his hands, contusions to his knuckles, or bruises on his body that would have indicated Epstein had been a struggle, which would be expected if Epstein’s death had been a homicide by strangulation.”
The Inspector General report also found the camera system was defunct and the prison had severe understaffing and structural issues.
Members of the staff also allegedly repeatedly mislead the Inspector General, including one supervisor who allegedly said she didn’t know Epstein was supposed to have a roommate, even though she was on the email sent in July 2019 stating he should have one.
“We further found that multiple BOP employees submitted false documents claiming that they had performed the required counts and rounds and that several MCC New York staff members lacked candor when questioned by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) about their actions,” the report said.
The report is coupled with nearly 4,000 pages of documents obtained by reporters earlier this month under a Freedom of Information Act request.
The documents show that toward the end of his life, Epstein sat alone in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, repeatedly calling himself a coward out loud.
Thomas and his partner were charged with doctoring the log books to make it seem like they completed their rounds when they had not, according to officials. Both pleaded guilty.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, was convicted in December 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to recruit, groom and abuse minors and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She has appealed the verdict.
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text the new three digit code at 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(MIAMI) — Former President Donald Trump’s longtime aide, Walt Nauta, could not be arraigned on federal charges Tuesday in Florida as scheduled, after his lawyer told the judge that Nauta has been unable to retain local counsel.
Nauta was charged alongside Trump earlier this month as part of the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
The charges against Nauta include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
Nauta’s lawyer, Stan Woodward, also told the judge Tuesday that Nauta’s flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was canceled and that they were unable to rebook him.
Nauta wanted to “express his sincerest condolences to the court,” his lawyer told the judge. “He takes very seriously the charges,” Woodward said.
The judge granted a request for a delay. Arraignment is now set for July 6.
Members of the special counsel’s team did not oppose a delay in the arraignment, but asked that the delay be as “brief as possible.”
Jay Bratt, a member of the special counsel’s team, said they “would like to move forward.”
Smith was not present in court.
Trump pleaded not guilty this month to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities. He has denied all charges and denounced the probe as a political witch hunt.
Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at Trump’s direction, in an effort to prevent the documents from being turned over to authorities.
In one instance, prosecutors allege that boxes were moved out of a storage room at the Palm Beach estate before Trump’s attorney searched the room for documents to hand over to investigators in compliance with a grand jury subpoena seeking their return.
According to the indictment, Nauta was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes.
Prosecutors also accuse Nauta of lying to investigators when questioned about his knowledge of the boxes’ whereabouts.
Nauta, a Guam native who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, worked in the Trump White House, where in 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, according to Navy records. Trump, according to investigators, subsequently promoted Nauta to be his valet, otherwise known as a “body man.”
After Trump left the White House and moved to Florida, Nauta left the Navy and continued to work for the former president. In August 2021, Nauta became Trump’s executive assistant, serving as his personal aide, a role in which he “reported to Trump, worked closely with Trump and traveled with Trump,” according to the federal indictment.
ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — There were more than 300 severe storm reports in the United States on Monday, mostly along the East Coast from New Hampshire to South Carolina, as threatening weather and dangerous heat plagues the nation.
Gusty winds of 60 to 66 miles per hour were reported from New York to North Carolina, with golf ball-sized hail damaging cars in the latter.
Some areas in New Jersey received close to half a foot of rain, which flooded roadways. There were even tornado warnings in the Garden State but, as of Tuesday morning, no actual twisters reported.
More thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday, with lightning, flooding rain and gusty winds expected from North Carolina all the way up to New England. The areas along Interstate 95 will begin seeing storms develop after 3 p.m. ET that will last into the night.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from Delaware to Maine, where local rainfall amounts of 4 inches are possible.
Another severe weather system moving eastward across the country will hit the central Plains and parts of the South on Tuesday, from South Dakota to Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Damaging winds and huge hail will likely be the biggest threat there, though a few tornadoes can’t be ruled out. Monday’s storms spawned seven reported tornadoes in Wyoming and Nebraska.
Meanwhile, a heat wave continues in the South and is expected to expand over the coming days, moving into southern parts of the Midwest and the Mid-South, including Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee as well as parts of southern Illinois and Indiana. The hottest days will be Tuesday through Thursday, with temperatures forecast to feel like nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas across the southern half of the country.
As of Tuesday morning, 13 states were under a heat alert from Arizona up to southern Illinois and down to northern Florida. Major cities such as Houston, Austin, New Orleans and even Orlando could see record high temperatures on Tuesday.
A record high of 111 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in Del Rio, Texas, on Monday for the ninth consecutive day. Another record high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in San Angelo, Texas.
The extreme heat will continue into the weekend for parts of Texas and the Deep South.
(MIAMI) — The longtime aide to former President Donald Trump who was federally charged alongside him earlier this month is set to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Miami as part of the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Walt Nauta, who first worked with Trump in the White House, is charged with six counts as part of the criminal case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents.
The charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
Nauta, 40, appeared in court in Miami with Trump earlier this month, but was not arraigned because he did not have local counsel. The pair sat with each other at the defendants’ table for the duration of that hearing, separated by Trump’s attorney.
Trump, who was indicted on 37 felony counts, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Nauta is not expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at Trump’s direction, in an effort to prevent the documents from being turned over to authorities.
In one instance, prosecutors allege that boxes were moved out of a storage room at the Palm Beach estate before Trump’s attorney searched the room for documents to hand over to investigators in compliance with a grand jury subpoena seeking their return.
According to the indictment, Nauta was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes.
Prosecutors also accuse Nauta of lying to investigators when questioned about his knowledge of the boxes’ whereabouts.
Nauta, a Guam native who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, worked in the Trump White House, where in 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, according to Navy records. Trump, according to investigators, subsequently promoted Nauta to be his valet, otherwise known as a “body man.”
After Trump left the White House and moved to Florida, Nauta left the Navy and continued to work for the former president. In August 2021, Nauta became Trump’s executive assistant, serving as his personal aide, a role in which he “reported to Trump, worked closely with Trump and traveled with Trump,” according to the federal indictment.
(COLUMBUS, Mont.) — Parts of a freight train carrying hazardous materials remain in the Yellowstone River in southern Montana after a bridge collapsed over the weekend.
Nine mangled cars — six that contained hot asphalt, three holding molten sulfur and one with scrap metal — were still in the rushing water on Monday evening as cleanup work continued, according to Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger.
“Some divers were brought in to see about how we would attach to those cars,” Cowger said during a press conference. “While those assessments were being done, it was noticed that there is still some products of asphalt that’s leaking out of those cars that are damaged.”
The incident occurred early Saturday near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles west of Billings, in a rural area of the Yellowstone River Valley. The train was traveling over a bridge when it collapsed and 16 cars derailed, sending 10 of them into the river below, some 110 miles downstream from Yellowstone National Park. No injuries were reported.
It remains unclear whether the derailment caused the bridge to collapse or if the collapse precipitated the derailment.
“We honestly have no idea what happened first, whether it was the bridge or the derailment,” Cowger told reporters on Monday evening. “There was an eastbound train across that bridge an hour before and things were fine with the bridge then. So there’s an investigation to figure what that looks like and what exactly happened. That’ll take some time as cars are pulled out of the river.”
The train’s operator, Montana Rail Link, is developing a cleanup plan and will be responsible for all related costs. Both asphalt and sulfur “harden and solidify quickly when interacting with water and modeling suggests that significant downstream movement of material is unlikely,” according to a statement from Montana Rail Link spokesperson Andy Garland.
Two cars containing sodium hydrosulfide were successfully offloaded and removed on Sunday via a 120-ton crane, according to Cowger. There has been no release involving this material, according to Montana Rail Link.
“We’ve made some good progress today with some cleanup,” Joe Racicot, president of Montana Rail Link, said during the press conference on Monday evening.
Test results from water samples taken on Saturday indicated the materials from the derailment had not affected water quality, according to Shasta Steinweden, complaint coordinator for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Enforcement Program. She said the tests showed no presence of petroleum, while the sulfur levels detected were consistent with upstream water samples.
“We are awaiting results from Sunday’s and Monday’s samples,” Steinweden told reporters on Monday evening. “We will continue to evaluate our sampling plans and locations and expanding those based on the evolving nature of this incident.”
Based on the results so far, Steinweden said officials “don’t foresee any long-term damages” to water quality, though testing will continue for “as long as needed.”
“What we are going to be assessing and looking at as far as long-term cleanup will be asphalt that is on the banks of the river and looking to remove all of that,” she added.
When asked how much substance is being leaked on an hourly or daily basis, Steinweden told reporters: “We can’t determine that at this time. However, when the tank cars are removed, we will do an assessment on what is left product-wise in those cars and from that information, we will be able to tell more accurately what our release estimate is.”
And regarding the possible damages to fish and wildlife in the affected area, Steinweden said: “We don’t know, which is why we’re calling in the experts to sort of make those determinations.”
“What we are concerned about is, you know, the fish and wildlife potentially coming into contact with the product,” she added.
The Colombus fire chief noted that there “isn’t a sheen on the water or anything like that,” since the product is “somewhat solidifying together as it comes out.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has invited both federal and state fish and wildlife agencies to come to the site in Montana’s Stillwater County and assess how the derailment has impacted wildlife, according to Joni Sandoval, the EPA on-scene coordinator. A portion of the Yellowstone River remains closed, she said.
