Rudy Giuliani's Missouri Bank Account Raises Questions
Former New York City Mayor and former personal lawyer for President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani (R) arrives at the U.S. District Court on May 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. Giuliani later declared bankruptcy after he was successfully sued by election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defamation.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has directed that lucrative payments be made to a Missouri bank, a Newsweek review of his finances showed.
His bankruptcy creditors are seeking more information on his personal finances, including a $100,000 deal to appear in a documentary about Donald Trump and a deal to launch his own brand of coffee, for which he will earn 80 percent of the net profits.
Giuliani's financial records show that he directed that payments for both deals be wired to his New York media company in an account at Parkside Financial Bank and Trust in St. Louis. The bank has two branches—St. Louis and Denver, Colorado—while Giuliani's media company, Giuliani Communications, is based in New York.
Other financial records show that while Giuliani's income is coming through Missouri, he is spending money through his New York-based platinum credit card. Giuliani's bankruptcy creditors are trying to uncover his assets and have repeatedly accused him in court filings of trying to hide his assets from them. Giuliani denies the allegation.
Financial records show that on September 10, 2021, Giuliani signed a $100,000 contract to appear in a documentary about the Trump presidency, provisionally titled All the President's Men.
Giuliani was paid $25,000 upfront with another $75,000 to be paid whenever he conducted his second interview for the documentary. The contract stipulates that the money should be wired to Giuliani's Parkside account in St. Louis.
In December 2021, before Giuliani received the $75,000, Rudy Freeman and Shaye Moss launched their defamation case against Giuliani, seeking more than $100 million in damages.
Giuliani declared bankruptcy in December 2023 after a jury awarded $148 million to the two Georgia election workers, who won the lawsuit. As an attorney for Trump in 2020, Giuliani falsely alleged that mother and daughter Freeman and Moss committed election fraud while counting ballots in Fulton County.
Newsweek sought email comment from Giuliani's spokesman, Ted Goodman, on Tuesday.
"Ted and I do not have knowledge about Mayor Giuliani's financial doings or transactions, nor did we ever," Michael Ragusa, Giuliani's head of security, told Newsweek. "All these kinds of questions should be referred to his legal counsel."
Newsweek sought email comment from Giuliani's bankruptcy attorney, Heath Berger.
On April 23, 2024, Giuliani signed a contract with Darron Burke, aka Burke Brands, to launch a Giuliani brand of coffee called Rudy. The contract states that Giuliani is to get 80 percent of the net profit. A spreadsheet attached to the contract shows a high profit margin on the coffee. The net profit on a 32-ounce bag is $5, more than $10 on a 64-ounce bag and $14.28 on a 76-ounce bag.
As with the documentary contract, Giuliani Communications is listed at 445 Park Avenue, but the payment on the contract is to be wired to Parkside in St Louis.
Giuliani's bankruptcy creditors are seeking to have the money in his St Louis bank account paid to them.
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