'Overt act of fraud': Feds aim to seize condo purchased by Trump confidant Roger Stone in wake of criminal indictment

The Department of Justice is attempting to seize a $400,000 condo purchased by Trump confidant Roger Stone weeks after his January 2019 criminal indictment.

Although Trump commuted Stone's prison sentence for lying to Congress, the DOJ is pursuing a civil lawsuit against him.

According to the Daily Beast, the DOJ considers the condo purchase "an overt act of fraud." Stone somehow managed to secure a mortgage for the condo despite owing the IRS $2 million and facing a $1.5 million federal lien.

Martin Sheil, a former special agent in the IRS' criminal division, said: "For this transaction, I'd use the term 'shady.' I don't know why anybody would loan them money," referring to Stone and his wife, Nydia.

As it turns out, the mortgage lender says he wasn't even aware at the time that the Stones were involved — otherwise, he would have called off the deal. And one of the attorneys who facilitated the transaction, RE/MAX FIRST general counsel Paul Caillaud, faces allegations involving sexual abuse of minors.

"Meanwhile, Stone continues to raise cash for his defense fund," the Daily Beast reports. "A disclaimer on the online donations portal says the fund and Stone are one and the same: 'Under the Internal Revenue Code, all contributions to the Roger Stone Legal Defense Fund are considered gifts to Roger Stone.' It also has this warning: 'Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.'"

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