Rudy Giuliani’s creditors rail over his 60 Amazon purchases and Netflix subscriptions

Former New York mayor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December after $148m defamation verdict against him

Josh Marcus
San Francisco
Thursday 30 May 2024 02:05 BST
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Rudy Giuliani advertises new coffee business

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A group of creditors have accused Rudy Giuliani of “gross mismanagement” and called on a judge to appoint a trustee to oversee the former New York Mayor’s finances as part of his ongoing bankruptcy case.

“More than five months ago, the Debtor commenced his bankruptcy case. One might ask what he has accomplished during that time. An objective review leads to one conclusion: he has accomplished almost nothing,” the filing on Tuesday read.

The filing slammed Mr Giuliani for his“egregious spending habits” during the bankruptcy proceedings, highlighting “60 Amazon transactions, charges for entertainment such as Netflix, Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Paramount+ and Apple services and products and numerous Uber rides.”

In December, Mr Giuliani filed for bankruptcy, shortly after he was ordered to pay $148m to Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defamatory statements he made about the pair following the 2020 election.

Since then, the filing alleges, Mr Giuliani has been suspended from his WABC radio show, kept “abysmal“ records, paid for employee expenses with his money, and entered into a deal to promote a coffee brand that funnels proceeds to Giuliani-controlled company as a way to avoid to paying creditors.

The filing also suggests officials should investigate whether Mr Giuliani committed “bankruptcy crimes” by allegedly using “his businesses to divert resources away from his estate and creditors in connection with his purported income that he allegedly never personally received.”

The Independent has contacted Mr Giuliani’s lawyer in the case for comment.

The creditors are seeking a 17 June hearing on the matter of appointing a trustee.

Earlier this month, the judge overseeing the case said he was “disturbed” at how little progress Mr Giuliani had made in resolving his financial issues.

The Trump associate’s lawyer, Heath Berger, said at the time, “They finally have, I think, gotten things on track.”

Mr Giuliani’s team has insisted he has work lined up and could liquidate his apartment as part of the bankruptcy case.

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