Mystery over who bailed out Rudy Giuliani as he is allowed to keep World Series rings, Manhattan condo and Mercedes in deal with Georgia election workers he defamed… a day after Trump’s ‘Save Rudy’ plea
Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, has reached a settlement with two Georgia election workers he repeatedly defamed, but the source of the financial backing for the deal remains shrouded in mystery.
Under the agreement, Giuliani gets to keep his $5million Upper East Side high-rise, vintage Mercedes, Yankees memorabilia and other prized possessions, in exchange for an undisclosed amount of ‘compensation’ payed to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss.
‘The past four years have been a living nightmare,’ a statement said.
‘We have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives.’
The pair, who were subjected to false accusations of election fraud during the 2020 presidential race, had won a defamation lawsuit in December 2023, with Giuliani ordered to pay them $148million.
Despite the court order, Giuliani, 80, had been uncooperative in handing over his assets in the months since.
His reported net worth is around $10million, raising questions about how the settlement was funded.
The mystery has sparked widespread speculation.
Rudy Giuliani , Donald Trump ‘s former personal attorney, has reached a settlement with two Georgia election workers he repeatedly defamed
Guiliani has been allowed to keep his New York Yankees 2000 World Series championship ring
A Washington D.C. federal jury found Rudy Giuliani, 80, on the hook for $148million in December 2023 for defaming the two women
CNN’s Erin Burnett described it as a ‘big mystery,’ bluntly asking, ‘Who the heck bailed him out?’
Senior crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz told Burnett she had been investigating the source of the funds but had hit a wall.
‘Nobody will say anything about how this happened, how it came about, or if there is money that Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss are getting,’ Polantz said.
One looming question is whether Donald Trump or his associates played a role in the settlement.
Polantz noted that Giuliani’s close allies had recently called on Trump to help him financially.
Trump himself had posted online, urging supporters to ‘Save Rudy,’ just days before the settlement was announced.
In the days following the president-elect’s public show of support, Giuliani’s online defense fund raised $169,000 – a far cry, however, from the $148million he owed to Freeman and Moss.
Criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Randy Zelin suggested Trump or someone in his orbit could be the mysterious benefactor.
‘There is no question that a betting person would say that’s someone who is very interested in spending time in a warmer climate at Mar-a-Lago,’ Zelin said.
Zelin also pointed to the influence of wealthy Trump allies who have previously donated to Trump’s causes, including billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos who contributed to his inauguration committee.
‘People understand that the next four years are going to be Trumpworld,’ Zelin added.
‘And someone decided to be that benevolent benefactor who will get something out of this.’
Joseph Cammarata, one of Giuliani’s lawyers, declined to comment when asked whether anyone had stepped up to help Giuliani pay the settlement sum.
‘I’m not going to answer that question, it’s irrelevant,’ he claimed.
Before the agreement, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of the massive verdict against him. pictured: Rudy Giuliani’s $5million Upper East Side apartment
Trump himself had posted online, urging supporters to ‘Save Rudy,’ just days before the settlement was announced
Despite the court order, Giuliani, 80, had been uncooperative in handing over his assets in the months since
Speaking outside the courthouse, he revealed only that the agreement had been negotiated ‘over the last 72 hours.’
Giuliani released a written statement Thursday that included somewhat of an apology to the election workers, who testified about mobs of Trump supporters threatening them outside their home after the former mayor’s false statements.
‘No one deserves to be subjected to threats, harassment, or intimidation,’ the statement reads.
‘This litigation has taken its toll on all parties. This whole episode was unfortunate.
‘I and the Plaintiffs have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same.’
As of last May, Giuliani had just over $1 million in a retirement account, nearly $94,000 in personal cash and about $237,000 in his company’s account, according to court filings.
At a recent hearing, Giuliani said he was ‘not impoverished’ but that he didn’t have access to most of his remaining assets.
‘Everything I have is tied up,’ he lamented.
Giuliani said in sworn deposition testimony last month that after leaving office in 2002, the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner gave him rings commemorating each of the four World Series the team won while he was mayor.
Giuliani testified that he insisted on paying for the rings, which were the same as the ones the players received, and told Steinbrenner: ‘These are for Andrew.’
He said he immediately gave one to son Andrew, a teen at the time, and kept three others for safekeeping. He estimated their total worth at $27,000.
Andrew, who had been prepared to testify that the workers were not entitled to the three World Series rings, because they were a ‘gift’ to him, said outside court that the deal lets him keep the prized jewelry.
‘I really am truly proud of my father,’ the younger Giuliani told reporters.
‘He’s an American hero, an American icon.’
For now, speculation about Giuliani’s mystery benefactor continues to swirl, leaving unanswered questions about how the embattled lawyer managed to pull off a deal to protect his remaining assets while settling one of his most high-profile legal battles.
