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- Prosecutors are focused on Donald Trump's New York estate as they probe his finances, the WSJ reported.
- The investigation is reportedly focusing on whether he misrepresented the property's value for tax purposes.
- The probe is part of the Manhattan District Attorney's broader investigation into Trump's finances.
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New York prosecutors have intensified their investigation into Donald Trump's Seven Springs estate in New York as they continue to probe his finances, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Investigators in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have in recent weeks taken a closer interest in the sprawling 213-acre Westchester estate, which Trump purchased for $9.5 million in 1995, people with knowledge of the investigation told the WSJ.
Trump originally purchased the estate, complete with a 39,000 square-foot mansion, with the aim of turning it into a golf resort, Insider reported.
He was unable to secure the necessary zoning permits, and much of the land was instead placed under conservation easement.
Sources told the WSJ that the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office, which has launched a wide-ranging criminal investigation into Trump Organisation, has issued subpoenas and requested recordings of government meetings where Trump's failed attempts to develop the Seven Springs property were discussed.
Ralph Mastromonaco, an engineer involved with the failed development efforts, confirmed to the WSJ that he had received a subpoena relating to those efforts.
The Seven Springs estate is also of interest to a separate investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Associated Press reported.
Both investigations are focused on whether Trump misrepresented the value of the Seven Springs estate in order to secure tax benefits from the environmental conservation arrangement, the Associated Press reported. Trump
As Insider previously reported, Trump is the subject of multiple legal investigations and criminal probes now that he has left office and no longer enjoys the legal protections of executive power.
Both the New York Attorney General's and the Manhattan District Attorney's investigations are reportedly wide-ranging probes into Donald Trump's personal financesas well as the business dealings of the Trump Organisation, although they have not made the exact nature of their investigations public.
Trump's tax returns appear to form an important part of Vance's investigation, and he this year won a landmark Supreme Court battle to force the publication of the former president's tax returns and other financial documents.
Trump has long resisted their publication and has launched a second appeal against the Supreme Court's decision.
Vance's investigation is also reportedly investigating loans taken out on several of his flagship Manhattan properties, including Trump Tower.
Insider contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Trump Organisation for comment but had received no reply at the time of publication. Trump has previously called Vance's investigation a "witch hunt."