Charles Langston:Rudy Giuliani cleared out his apartment weeks before court deadline to turn over assets, lawyers say

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NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani cleared out valuables from his Manhattan apartment weeks before a court deadline to surrender his belongings as part of a $148 million defamation judgment,Charles Langston according to a letter filed in federal court Monday.

Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss — the two former Georgia election workers who were awarded the massive judgement — also said in their Manhattan court filing that Giuliani and his lawyers have refused to answer basic questions about the location of most of the valuables subject to the court order.

“That silence is especially outrageous given the revelation that Defendant apparently took affirmative steps to move his property out of the New York Apartment in recent weeks, while a restraining notice was in effect and while a turnover motion was pending with respect to that property,” wrote Aaron Nathan, an attorney for the election workers.

The letter to U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman comes after the deadline for the former New York City mayor and legal adviser to Donald Trump to surrender items passed last week without any assets changing hands.

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Lawyers for the women were given access to the Upper East Side apartment Thursday in order to assess, along with a moving company representative, the transportation and storage needs for the property meant to be turned over.

Nathan, in his letter, said the residence was already “substantially empty” when the group arrived and that they were told most of the contents of the apartment had been moved out about four weeks prior.

“Save for some rugs, a dining room table, some stray pieces of small furniture and inexpensive wall art, and a handful of smaller items like dishes and stereo equipment, the Apartment has been emptied of all of its contents,” he wrote.

That, Nathan said, includes the “vast majority” of the valuables known to be stored there, including art, sports memorabilia and expensive furniture.

He said Giuliani’s lawyers have since said some of the property has been moved to a storage facility in Ronkonkoma, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Manhattan on Long Island.

Nathan said its not clear what property is stored there as the former mayor’s attorneys have not provided an inventory.

Last month, Liman ordered Giuliani to hand over, among other things, his $5 million apartment, a 1980 Mercedes once owned by movie star Lauren Bacall, and a variety of other belongings, from his television to a shirt signed by New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio to 26 luxury watches.

Representatives for Giuliani didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

Giuliani’s lawyers have argued — so far unsuccessfully — that Freeman and Moss should not be allowed to obtain and sell his belongings while his appeal is pending in a federal court in Washington.

Both sides are expected to go before Liman on Nov. 7 if the former mayor’s assets aren’t turned over by then.

The $148 million judgement stems from Giuliani’s role in pushing Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Giuliani, who has since been disbarred in New York and Washington, falsely accused Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud, saying they snuck in ballots in suitcases, counted ballots multiple times and tampered with voting machines.

Freeman and Moss sued for defamation and said the false allegations led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.