Giuliani shows up to vote in Mercedes convertible he was ordered to turn over to election workers

ATLANTA — In another brazen move by Rudy Giuliani, the former Trump attorney showed up at his polling place on Tuesday in a vintage Mercedes convertible that he was ordered to surrender to the former Fulton County election workers who he defamed during the 2020 election.

“The former New York City mayor, who wore a US flag print shirt and FDNY hat, wielded a selfie stick from the passenger seat of the blue convertible 1980 Model SL500, which was once owned by Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall,” the New York Post reported.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued the order late Monday after lawyers for Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss reported to the court that they went to Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment last week to see what assets were there, but that it had been cleared out.

“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,” attorney Aaron Nathan said according to the Post.

Liman had set an Oct. 29 deadline for Giuliani to surrender many of his possessions to representatives for Freeman and Moss, but none of the items has been turned over yet, lawyers for the former election workers said Monday. The judge ordered Giuliani and his lawyers to appear in court on Thursday.

Those possessions include his $5 million Upper East Side 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.

A spokesperson for Giuliani told The Post on Tuesday that his lawyers “have requested documentation to transfer over the title” of the Mercedes, but “haven’t heard back” from Freeman and Moss’ attorneys.

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy after a jury awarded Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss $148 million after they said he continued to spread lies about them tampering with votes from the 2020 election.

When Giuliani filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December, he said he had less than $10 million in assets but more than $100 million in debt.

In July, a federal judge threw out Giuliani’s bankruptcy case, saying it was in the best interests of creditors.

In October, a judge ordered that Giuliani had to turn over all his possessions and his Manhattan apartment to Freeman and Moss to help pay off the $148 million judgement.

RELATED STORIES:

• Rudy Giuliani misses deadline to turn over property to GA election workers
• Rudy Giuliani has to turn over penthouse, personal property to GA election workers by end of Tuesday
• Rudy Giuliani must turn over personal property to 2 GA election workers. Here’s how it will work
• Rudy Giuliani ordered to turn over NYC apartment, 26 watches to Georgia election workers
• Federal judge throws out bankruptcy case against Rudy Giuliani

Nathan pointed out the reports of Giuliani in the Mercedes to the judge in a court filing Tuesday.

“It is clear that Mr. Giuliani is flouting his obligations under the Court’s Turnover and Receivership Order,” Nathan wrote.

Michael Ragusa, head of Giuliani’s security, sent a statement to The Associated Press referencing the 1980 Mercedes.

“Mayor Giuliani, is an 80-year-old man with a bad knee and 9/11-related lung disease, he relies on this vehicle as his primary means of transportation in Florida, where there is no mass transit system like New York City’s,” Ragusa wrote. “The way he is being pushed toward poverty by those targeting him — after all he has done for this country — is appalling and it is clearly politically motivated.”

The judge originally scheduled a status conference by phone for Thursday but changed it to an in-person hearing and specifically ordered Giuliani to appear in person in response to the report by Freeman and Moss’ attorneys.

Goodman said Giuliani has made his possessions available to Freeman and Moss. He did not directly answer questions about why no assets have been turned over so far.

“Opposing counsel, acting either negligently or deliberately in a deceptive manner, are simply attempting to further bully and intimidate Mayor Giuliani until he is rendered penniless and homeless,” Goodman said in a statement. “This is just another way that they’ve weaponized our once-sacred justice system. It should concern each and every American.”

Goodman added that Giuliani has put “a few items” in storage over the past year and “anything else removed was related to his two livestream programs that stream each and every weeknight across his social media platforms.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Liman rejected a request made earlier in the day by Giuliani’s lawyer, Kenneth Caruso, to either postpone the in-person hearing to next week or hold it by phone on Thursday as originally planned. Caruso said in a court filing that Giuliani had a “contractual commitment” to perform a live radio broadcast on Thursday and Friday evenings.

“In order to keep this commitment, he needs to be in his condo in Palm Beach, where he has his broadcasting equipment,” Caruso wrote, referring to Giuliani’s property in Florida. “We note that broadcasts, such as those described above, currently provide Mr. Giuliani’s only source of earned income.”

Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and longtime ally of Trump, was found liable for defamation for falsely accusing Freeman and Moss of ballot fraud during the 2020 election. Giuliani accused them of sneaking in ballots in suitcases, counting ballots multiple times and tampering with voting machines, as he pushed Trump’s unsubstantiated election fraud allegations.

Freeman and Moss said the lies led to death threats against them that made them fear for their lives. A jury awarded them $148 million last year, and they have been seeking to take possession of many of Giuliani’s assets in the court case in New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

©2024 Cox Media Group