Evidence of Fulton County Attorney Fani Willis’ relationship with Nathan Wade – the special prosecutor bringing the election fraud charges – is included in the file, in the form of credit card charges for trips the couple took to Florida and California.
Attorneys for Wade’s wife of 26 years, Joycelyn Wade, also said he intentionally hid his true earnings — totaling nearly $700,000 for his work as a special prosecutor — from her in an effort to avoid paying his fair share in their divorce.
Wade and Willis’ alleged affair was first revealed in a filing in the election fraud case on January 8 by defendant Michael Roman. He claimed their “improper” relationship created a professional conflict of interest, amounted to misuse of district funds and called for both to be fired.
Although he did not provide evidence with his filing, he cited Wade’s divorce file as a source of evidence. Wade initially filed for divorce the day after he was made special prosecutor then immediately had the document sealed – implying it contained information he didn’t want the public to see.
At an emergency hearing in Cobb County on Monday, Judge Henry Thompson ruled the case should be available to the public and heard arguments on whether Willis should sit for a deposition.
Andrea Hastings, an attorney for Joycelyn, argued Monday that Willis “knew the cause of the breakup” between the former couple and accused him of obstructing her ability to access information related to the case.
Documents released from the file show Wade’s repeated attempts to avoid disclosing his income, prompting the court to order him to hand over bank statements to his wife’s legal team.
Fani Willis (pictured) and Nathan Wade have been accused in court filings of misconduct. via REUTERS
Joycelyn’s attorney later accused Wade of leaving her destitute while spending lavishly — including vacationing with Willis, spending more than $1,600 on a flight to San Francisco in April 2023 and $1,200 on a trip for them and Willis’ mother to Miami in October 2022.
On Monday, Willis’ attorney Cinque Axom appeared via video stating that Willis should not have been fired by Joycelyn because “the adultery allegations are irrelevant” and that their divorce case “has nothing to do with Ms. Willis.”
Axom claims the only issue in the divorce is how to divide marital assets.
Hastings replied, “I want to know how he has spent his money. I have reason to believe he spent it on other women and it was my client’s money.”
A judge decided to unseal Wade’s divorce documents. Cobb County
Other credit card charges Wade handled that his wife’s attorney revealed included more than $2,500 charged by Royal Caribbean Cruises at the same time the flight to Miami was purchased and $3,835 with a company called Vacation Express.
Wade also spent another $992 on the Freedom of the Seas, a cruise that travels between Florida and the Caribbean, on October 31. He also spent $370 at the Hyatt Regency in Aruba on Nov. 4 and paid more than $3,000 to Norwegian Cruise lines on Nov. 6 even though credit card statements offer no proof Willis was with Wade at the time those purchases were made.
Hastings also noted that the filing by Willis last week was the first time “false” allegations that Joycelyn had an affair with friend Nathan, effectively ending the marriage in 2017, had been made. That “clearly shows he has unique personal knowledge,” he added.
Judge Henry Thompson heard arguments about unsealing documents regarding the divorce of Georgia prosecutor Nathan Wade and his ex-wife Joycelyn. 11 Life
“We are not seeking his deposition as DA,” explained Hastings, adding that he sought the deposition “as the alleged lover of my client’s husband. I’m sure it’s inconvenient. It bothers us all. However, I have a question and he needs to answer it.”
Willis, who brought charges against Trump and 18 co-defendants, hired Wade as a private attorney with the Atlanta-based Wade & Campbell Firm to oversee the case in late 2021.
Trump and 14 other co-defendants in the case have all pleaded not guilty.
Roman’s argument is that Wade used funds paid to him by the Fulton County DA’s Office for their personal travel, so Willis benefited, which amounts to misappropriation of county funds. Willis is currently under investigation by the audit committee of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners regarding the potential “misappropriation” of taxpayer funds.
Wade has been accused of abandoning his destitute ex. via REUTERS
Meanwhile, Joycelyn’s lawyers revealed in newly released documents the lengths they say Wade went to to hide how much he earned from his wife.
They claim Wade is the owner of a firm that uses his name, Wade, Bradley & Campbell, but dissolved the practice during the divorce and is now only a partner, in an effort to lower his net worth.
“Plaintiff [Wade] has dissolved and formulated an entirely new business entity purportedly before and during the pendency of this case; however, he refused to comply with discovery to provide the most basic financials regarding the same,” Hastings wrote in his motion on Joycelyn’s behalf.
Wades credit card charges from divorce docs. Cobb County Wade spent nearly $1,000 on the “Freedom of the Seas” cruise, according to the document. eqroy – stock.adobe.com
“The plaintiff acted in a manner that made it appear that he was deliberately ‘changing’ his business[es] to hide information.”
Joycelyn said she relied on Wade’s bi-weekly payments of $700 directly into his bank account which she used for household and personal expenses, but claimed he had withdrawn from this account and had left it “overwhelming”.
Joycelyn said because her ex kept money from her, she had to rely on her father for support, until he recently died leaving her with no source of income.
Jocelyn Wade’s attorney, Andrea Hastings, told The Post that she supports the judge’s decision to unseal the documents. Natrice Miller/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
On Tuesday, Thompson said he would not decide whether Willis should sit for the deposition until after Wade testifies.
“I think Mr. Wade would be the first and best source of information about his income, and how he spent it and he would have direct knowledge of whether he had been involved in an extramarital affair,” Thompson said.
In a statement to The Post, Hastings said he supported the judge’s decision to unseal documents in the divorce.
Nathan Wade listens as prosecuting attorney Daysha Young presents arguments in the case against Donald Trump in Georgia. ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“Transparency is key to achieving a fair and equitable divorce settlement and Ms. Wade has nothing to hide,” Hastings said. “We fully support Judge Thompson’s decision to disclose information to the public.
“We expect Mr. Wade to be forced to provide more answers to questions about both his conduct and his finances. We hope to find out more in court,” he added.
Separate from Wade’s divorce filing in Cobb County, Judge Scott McAfee is presiding over Georgia’s election interference case in Fulton County.
He said in court Friday he expects to hold a hearing on Wade and Willis’ alleged relationship in early February and set a Feb. 2 deadline for Willis to respond to the allegations.
Trump’s case has not yet been scheduled for trial.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
