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Trump Kids Deeply Involved in Video Phone Scam Hyped on ‘The Apprentice,’ Duped Ex-Investors Say

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President Donald Trump’s three eldest children were deeply involved in a scam promoted on “The Apprentice” reality TV show, according to a lawsuit filed by four former clients.

The group filed an amended complaint Thursday that expanded fraud claims against Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump related to the ACN Inc. marketing firm they endorsed, reported the Detroit News.

The president’s children appeared repeatedly with ACN co-founders on the NBC television show, as well as in social media and other promotional materials, according to the lawsuit that was originally filed in October.

The four plaintiffs, who say they paid tens of thousands of dollars for bogus marketing opportunities, seek to remain anonymous to avoid backlash from the president.

The Trump family received millions of dollars in secret payments from 2005 to at least 2015 to promote ACN to potential customers who hoped to get rich selling a “doomed” desktop video phone service.

“Trust me, it’s changing everything,” Trump said, according to one of the plaintiffs. “The absolute truth is that this technology will be present in every home within the next several years.”

The video phone, however, could connect calls only between other ACN customers and was quickly overtaken by Skype and the development of smart phones.

The lawsuit blames shows like “Celebrity Apprentice” for making Trump and the products he endorsed, including ACN, falsely appear to be more valuable.

Trump’s children exploited his TV celebrity to promote a company they knew was ripping off customers, the former investors say.

“Defendants concocted a further scheme to use the rehabilitated Trump brand, their national celebrity, and their platform, as well as their casual willingness to make false and misleading statements, to defraud consumers who were inspired by Trump’s apparent wealth and success,” the plaintiffs argued in the complaint.

“In the eyes of the victims, defendants and ACN legitimized each other through their cross-branding in these appearances,” the complaint adds.

The complaint singles out Ivanka Trump, who boasted in her book that the family’s investment partners “love the fanfare and the positive spillover” that comes from doing business with her celebrity businessman father.

The Trumps have asked U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield to dismiss the complaint, and their lawyers have claimed the president had nothing to do with any alleged fraud.

Although he served as a celebrity spokesman for the company for nearly a decade before launching his presidential bid, lawyers say Trump never owned or controlled the company.

RELATED STORIES:

TRUMP’S LATEST SCAM: SOLICITING ILLEGAL DONATIONS FROM LAWMAKERS IN THE UK, AUSTRALIA, ICELAND

PASTOR APPOINTED TO TRUMP’S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD SHOCKED IT’S JUST ‘A SCAM’

WATCH: IVANKA TRUMP LAUGHS WHEN ASKED IF ‘LOCK HER UP’ SHOULD APPLY TO HER USE OF PRIVATE EMAIL

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GRIFTERS

Melania Trump Monetizes ‘Be Best’ in Blockchain-Based Cryptocurrency NFT Art Scheme

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2 years ago

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December 16, 2021

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Melania Trump has found a way to monetize her time in the White House. The former first lady has launched a blockchain-based cryptocurrency NFT (non-fungible token) art sale in coordination with French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon. She is selling them via Parler, the social media platform that is home to countless white supremacists, white nationalists, and other far-right extremists. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports Parler was “a haven for recruitment and promotion for the Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol building.”

In a statement on Parler, Melania Trump says she is “excited for this new venture.” It claims a “portion of the proceeds…will assist children aging out of the foster care system,” but does not describe the “venture” as a non-profit, nor does it say how much of the funds raised will go to help children.

“Melania Trump is pleased to announce the Melania Trump non-fungible token (NFT) platform, which will release NFTs in regular intervals exclusively on MelaniaTrump.com. The first NFT, entitled ‘Melania’s Vision’ will be available to purchase for a limited period between December 16 and December 31, 2021,” the statement reads.

As of this writing the melaniatrump.com domain is offline.

“I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavor, which embodies my passion for the arts, and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative. Through this new technology-based platform, we will provide children computer science skills, including programming and software development, to thrive after they age out of the foster community.”

RELATED –
‘Monster’: Internet Reacts to Audio of ‘Sociopath’ Melania Trump Swearing About Separated Migrant Children

“A portion of the proceeds from the Melania Trump NFT collection will assist children aging out of the foster care system by way of economic empowerment and with expanded access to resources needed to excel in the fields of computer science and technology,” the statement concludes. “The Melania Trump FT platform utilizes the Solan blockchain protocol; and will accept both the SOL cryptocurrency and credit card payments through MoonPay. Parler is powering the platform.”

Noting Trump’s entrance into the NFT world, Bloomberg News adds, “NFTs became hot this year, with celebrities, sports teams and artists trying to get into the action, and the likes of Ripple and Paris Hilton backing efforts to move the space forward.”

She also posted the statement to Twitter:

 

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GRIFTERS

Trump’s ‘Save America’ PAC Raised $75 Million This Year as He Lies About the Election – Cash Pays for His Travel: Report

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3 years ago

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July 22, 2021

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Donald Trump, the erroneously embittered one term former U.S. president has raised $75 million this year through his “Save America” leadership PAC by lying about the 2020 election, an election he and his supporters, surrogates, and allies falsely claim was “stolen.” The funds, collected the PAC, can be spent in a wide variety of ways, including to pay for the flailing Arizona recount, or similar efforts in other states, but according to The Washington Post Trump’s PAC has not spent a dime on those efforts.

“Instead, the Save America leadership PAC — which has few limits on how it can spend its money — has paid for some of the former president’s travel, legal costs and staff, along with other expenses, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of the anonymity to describe the group’s inner workings. The PAC has held onto much of its cash,” The Post reports.

“Even as he assiduously tracks attempts by his allies to cast doubt on the integrity of last year’s election, Trump has been uninterested in personally bankrolling the efforts, relying on an array of other entities and supporters to fund the endeavors, they said.”

Commenting on the report, MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow mocked the former president on Twitter, saying, “So he’s, like, living off the STOP THE STEAL money?”

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GRIFTERS

Trump and GOP Began Fundraising Off ‘Frivolous’ Lawsuit ‘Within Minutes’: Report

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3 years ago

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July 7, 2021

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It took Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) just “minutes” to begin fundraising off of what some are calling the former president’s “frivolous” lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook, and Google.

Politico’s Sam Stein posted this text from the joint Trump-RNC fundraising committee:

The New York Times’ Nick Corasaniti posted these screenshots from the Trump/RNC fundraising organization:

“Trump’s baseless Big Tech lawsuit is all about fundraising,” the tech and culture website Mashable reports. “Keep on grifting.”

“After Trump filed federal lawsuits against Google, Twitter, and Facebook for allegedly violating the First Amendment by banning or suspending him from their platforms, the NRCC and NRSC, the fundraising arms of the House and Senate GOP respectively, each sent out text alerts,” Forbes reports. “‘IT HAPPENED,’ said the NRSC – which, along with the NRCC, has spent months hyping Trump’s plans to start his own social media site – adding, ‘Trump announced he is fighting CENSORSHIP by SUING Big Tech companies.'”

Related –
‘Not Competent’: Legal Experts Pan Trump’s Lawyers and ‘LOLsuit’ Against Twitter and Facebook as ‘Going Nowhere’

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