We all know the Republican presidential nominee has repeatedly lied about his non-existent charitable donations, but those lies might have actually been illegal.
Over many years Trump has claimed that proceeds from his business ventures, even his failed Trump Vodka business, would be donated to charity, but that never actually happened. Because Trump claimed proceeds from these businesses would be donated to charity, this could be considered deceptive business acts and practices in New York and other states.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office told Politico that they haven't decided yet if Trump will be investigated, but they are taking it seriously enough to theorize how he might be charged.
Referring to Trump’s claims about his “Crippled America” book profits, a spokesman for Schneiderman’s office said that the law against deceptive business practices was a more likely avenue of pursuit than the charitable solicitation law. But he added that lawyers at the attorney general’s office had not yet decided whether to look into the matter. [...]
At an October campaign stop in Iowa, Trump plugged the upcoming release of the book, saying, “With everything else I’m writing books. This was the last thing. But it was a lot of money that’s going to go to charity, and frankly, I think the title is amazing.”
Schneiderman's office is currently handling the Trump University case so their hands are full, but it's plausible they could investigate and pursue charges against Trump for repeatedly lying about donations to charity. Schneiderman has clearly demonstrated that he's capable and willing to go after Trump.