Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Rudy Giuliani’s financial situation has taken yet another turn for the worse.
On Friday, a New York judge dismissed the former mayor’s bankruptcy case, officially opening the door for his creditors to begin the process of seizing his assets to pay for the approximately $153 million he currently owes. Giuliani is barred from reapplying for bankruptcy protection for one year.
Last month, United States Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane had seemed open to appointing an independent monitor to oversee Giuliani’s finances, due to concerns about his inconsistent recordkeeping and failure to submit monthly reports on time. But the judge went even further Friday and dismissed the case outright, writing in a 22-page filing that seeking transparency into Giuliani’s personal finances has been an “elusive goal.” “Mr. Giuliani has failed to provide an accurate and complete picture of his financial affairs in the six months that this case has been pending,” Lane wrote.
Lane cited Giuliani’s irregular financial records and blown deadlines and said that the information filed was often “incomplete or inaccurate.” The judge also suggested that Giuliani was being untruthful about how much money he makes, citing the fact that his submitted reports claim that he only receives money from his Social Security benefits, when he in fact receives a $15,000-a-month salary for his WABC radio show as well as between $100,000 and $150,000 for his America’s Mayor Live podcast.
“The lack of financial transparency is particularly troubling given concerns that Mr. Giuliani has engaged in self-dealing and that he has potential conflicts of interest that would hamper the administration of his bankruptcy case,” Lane wrote.
In December 2023, Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming he owed about $153 million to creditors. This move came just days after a federal judge ordered the former mayor to pay a $148 million judgment to two Georgia election workers who alleged Giuliani defamed them as part of his attempt to cast doubt in the 2020 election results. Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss testified in court about the racist and violent threats they received after Giuliani went after them on his podcast and in other arenas.
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