DC prosecutors zero in on Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka over inauguration fraud scheme

The District of Columbia's attorney general continues to investigate whether Donald Trump's inaugural committee illegally misspent more than $1 million.

The attorney general's office has filed a civil lawsuit against the 2017 inaugural committee and the Trump Organization, but discussions to resolve the matter out of court stalled earlier this month because investigators are intent on completing their work, reported The Daily Beast.

Now it's up to D.C. Superior Court Judge José López to rule on a motion filed by attorney general Karl Racine, who argued that the evidence he's already presented weighs heavily in his favor, similar to the summary judgment in a 2018 case against the Trump Foundation that led to the dissolution of the ex-president's charity.

Investigators suspect that Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and others funneled money from the inaugural committee to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, which allegedly overbilled the nonprofit committee for the family's personal gain.

The court case remains civil in nature, but the attorney general's investigators could refer evidence of criminal behavior to law enforcement for prosecution, and they will continue seeking additional testimony from Don Jr.'s college friend Gentry Beach and former Trump Organization employee Kara Hanley.

Beach allegedly arranged a block of hotel rooms at Madison Washington D.C. for the Trump Organization, which never paid the bill, and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates directed bill collectors to invoice the inauguration committee, which eventually paid $49,358.

Hanley, a former executive assistant for the Trump Organization, was also involved in that scheme, according to investigators.

Tom Barrack, the inaugural committee's chairman and longtime friend of the ex-president, was arrested last week and pleaded not guilty to charges that he secretly lobbied for the United Arab Emirates.