A recent report reveals a rather intriguing accusation levied against the infamous designer of the “Tax the Rich” dress, which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wore to the elitist Met Gala.
The dress designer, Aurora James, is known as a “notorious tax deadbeat,” who has numerous “unpaid debts dogging her in multiple states,” according to the New York Post.
The 37-year-old James is famous for designing AOC’s “Tax the Rich” dress, which was worn to a $30,000-per-ticket event. James herself has a reported net worth of $2M, and she has claimed that her gown serves to send a “powerful message” at a gala filled with elites and celebrities.
In 2021, James developed the Cultural Brokerage Agency, which is an LLC serving as the parent company of Brother Vellies, her fashion brand. The LLC has been served a total of 15 warrants since 2015, per the New York Post.
The media outlet also noted that Jame’s LLC has three open tax warrants in the state of New York for failure to withhold income taxes from the paychecks of employees; these debts preceded the pandemic and originate from 2018 and 2019.
In addition, the New York Post also reports that the Cultural Brokerage Agency fell into even more trouble with federal authorities between April 2018 and April 2019, with six federal liens placed upon the LLC that total $103,220 dollars. These liens directly trace back to James’s failure to remit employee payroll taxes appropriately.
The IRS did not comment on these findings.
Moreover, James’s company also received over $41,000 in COVID relief aid from the federal government. Her LLC also received a $17,000 fine for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance between March of 2017 and February of 2018.
In addition to dodging tax liabilities, James’s company is also notorious for its treatment of employees. According to an anonymous former employee, working for AOC’s designer is akin to working in a “sweatshop that relied on legions of unpaid interns working full-time jobs.”
Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) sharply rebuked the behavior of AOC and her designer, nothing that “the height of hypocrisy” occurs “when socialists attend a $30,000 per ticket gala with a message of ‘tax the rich,’” especially when they wear “overpriced” clothing by luxury designers who fail to pay taxes.
“What happened to everyone paying their fair share?” Malliotakis asked wryly.
AOC strolled the red carpet with James at the lavish Met Gala, along with both of their dates. James attended with Benjamin Bronfman, who has an estimated net worth of $100M; Bronfman’s father, the former CEO of Warner Music Group, has an estimated net worth of $2.5B.
Throughout her career, AOC has routinely demanded wealth redistribution. For instance, shortly after entering office in 2019, she began demanding taxes as high as 70 percent for “the rich.” However, she has endured ridicule for her stances since this time, with the most recent criticism originating from Bill Maher in the past week.
