MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Trump's niece Mary sues him and family claiming multi-million dollar fraud, Internet says 'her book sales tanked'

'For Donald J. Trump, his sister Maryanne, and their late brother Robert, fraud was not just the family business — it was a way of life,' Mary Trump's New York State Supreme Court lawsuit says

On Thursday, September 24, President Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump filed a lawsuit against her uncle, his sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, and their late brother, Robert Trump, in State Supreme Court in Manhattan claiming that the trio cheated her out of her multi-million dollar inheritance -- something that she first revealed publicly in her now-famous tell-all book, 'Too Much And Never Enough: How My Family Created The World's Most Dangerous Man.' 

"For Donald J. Trump, his sister Maryanne, and their late brother Robert, fraud was not just the family business — it was a way of life," Mary's New York State Supreme Court lawsuit says. "They concocted scheme after scheme to cheat on their taxes, swindle their business partners, and jack up rents on their low-income tenants. They then allegedly targeted then-teenage Mary after the death of her father, Fred Trump Jr.," the suit contends. "Rather than protect Mary’s interests, they designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests, conceal their grift, and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited," the suit claims.

Regarding the lawsuit, Mary said on Thursday: "My father died when I was still a teenager, and my uncles Donald and Robert and aunt Maryanne were supposed to be protecting me as my trustees and fiduciaries. Recently, I learned that rather than protecting me, they instead betrayed me by working together in secret to steal from me, by telling lie after lie about the value of what I had inherited, and by conning me into giving everything away for a fraction of its true value. I am bringing this case to hold them accountable and to recover what is rightfully mine."

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages of more than $500,000 and punitive damages. When news of the lawsuit hit social media, there was an array of reactions pertaining to both in favor as well as against Mary. "So that’s why she’s making stuff up. She got left out of the will...truth always comes out" one said, while another wrote, "So that’s why she really wrote that 'tell all' book. She has family issues.... or better yet, money issues." A third remarked, "I knew it was a vendetta. People should tread very carefully when reading her book. It probably oozes bias and bad blood." 

Since Mary became a household name after she wrote a bombshell tell-all earlier this year, which quickly climbed to the top spot in the bestseller's list, many wondered if the lawsuit was filed in order to extract money from the POTUS after she was not able to make as much from book sales. "Did she not make the amount of money she expected off of her book sales?" one of the users wondered, while another remarked, "Looks like her book sales tanked!!"

However, there were those who empathized with Mary. "So he didn't just defraud contractors, charities, and students seeking career training, but he also scammed his own family," one of them wrote, while another said, "I think she's doing pretty good earning her own money. Maybe her brother and nephew need help! Wrong is wrong they are entitled to as much as the others." A third said, "Do what you must, Dr. Trump. The rest of that clan has to pay you."

In a press briefing, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dismissed the allegations against her boss's family. "The only fraud committed there was Mary Trump recording one of her relatives," McEnany said, a reference to secretly recorded conversations between Mary Trump and her aunt, where the president's sister said he was a liar with "no principles." "She really discredited herself," McEnany said.

Mary's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan said: "We now know that under the guise of supposedly taking care of their teenage niece after her father's untimely death, Donald, Robert and Maryanne Trump perpetrated elaborate schemes to defraud Mary Trump in order to enrich themselves to the tune of millions of dollars at her expense."