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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Former President Donald J. Trump has over $54,000 in unclaimed property in Florida, the state's chief financial officer said in a letter on Tuesday.
Florida has an unclaimed property program that's designed to return lost or unknown financial assets to residents. Now, Trump is one of those residents. Since Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis took office in mid-2017, nearly $2.4 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to residents, according to the letter.
Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis delivers remarks before Gov. Ron DeSantis took to the stage during his Don't Tread on Florida Tour in Sarasota on Nov. 6, ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm election. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Get …
Unclaimed property ranges from dormant bank accounts, stocks and dividends to uncashed checks, credit balances and abandoned safe deposit boxes. These financial assets are held by business or government entities for a set period of time, which is usually five years. If these holders aren't able to make contact with the owner and return the asset, they're reported to the Florida Department of Financial Services' Division of Unclaimed Property.
"There are some very, very nasty people coming after you, and every dollar matters in your efforts to fight back against these radical state attorneys who have weaponized the courts," Patronis said in the letter. "We need you and your team to have every resource possible to get through these BS charges so you can get back to work in Making America Great Again!"
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Patronis urged Trump or his team to contact him personally to process the unclaimed property request.
"My door is always open, and my phone is ready to take your call. You can even reach me on TRUTH at @JimmyPatronis," Patronis said. "Thank you for your contributions to our state and our country. I am looking forward to hearing back from you and encourage the entire Trump family and all your employees here in Florida to search for their unclaimed property and claim it today!"
The letter said the unclaimed money can be claimed by Trump himself, a member of his family or the Trump organization.
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To see if you have any unclaimed money or property in Florida, click here.
Patronis' letter to Trump comes amid the former president's hush money trial, which is now in its third week of testimony. The indictment against him centers on payoffs allegedly made to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and "fixer," reportedly paid Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the National Enquirer publisher to pay McDougal $150,000. Payments were also reportedly made to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have knowledge of a child Trump allegedly had out of wedlock.
Former US President Donald Trump, center, and Susan Necheles, attorney for former US President Donald Trump, center left, at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business record …
The Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and paid him in bonuses and extra payments, which prosecutors said were falsely logged as legal expenses in company records.
The indictment was brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump is the first former president to ever face criminal charges as a result. Trump has denied the allegations.
FOX TV Digital contributed to this report.