Prosecutors charge Trump Organization and its chief finance officer Allen Weisselberg in tax schemes. Weisselberg was accused of underpayment of $ 1.76 million in taxes and withholding tax information. He is also accused of falsifying documents, financial fraud, evading the payment of city income tax.
Weisselberg was released on recognizance not to leave and was forced to give the passport. In the District Court of Manhattan, he appeared in handcuffs.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against the Trump Organization, the company that manages the assets of former US President Donald Trump. The indictment contains 15 counts against Weisselberg and 10 against the Trump Organization.
See Trump Org. executive led into court in handcuffs
It is indicated about the commission of a tax crime within last 15 years since 2005. The accused denied their guilt. No charges have been brought against the former president at the moment and as known there will be none.
According to the probe, the earnings of some of the company’s employees were deliberately lowered. This was done in order to reduce the payment of local and federal income.
Prosecutors charge Trump Organization after the testimony of Michael Cohen
Back in 2019, after the testimony of former lawyer Donald Trump, probe began. He pointed to the company’s machinations for lending on more favorable terms. Then the case where prosecutors charge Trump Organization was still of a civil nature, but after May 2021 it began to be listed as a criminal one.
Trump himself assessed the situation as one that is political in nature and is lobbied by his Democratic opponents. The Trump Organization also viewed the indictment as an optical act, and Allen Weisselberg as a pawn to help harm the former president.
Vance was in charge of the two-year case. In the past 2 weeks, lawyers from the Trump Organization have met with him to persuade him not to bring the case to trial. After their failure, Attorney Carey Dunn rated the company as one that should definitely be brought to a case.
Prosecutors point they have digital discs with grand jury testimony, accounting records, tax records and statements from potential witnesses to help move the case.
Indictment details
The tax payment scheme is explained in the indictment: the company is allegedly evading payroll taxes, and Weisselberg is evading income tax. The company paid the CFO the main expenses: an apartment, a garage, utility bills and rent on a Riverside Blvd. apartment.
in the conclusion it is said that the amount for expenses was intended to be less than the actual one. Weisselberg reported only his direct compensation on his tax returns, according to the indictment.
Allen Weisselberg hid the fact that he had been renting an apartment in New York from 2005 to 2013. Thus, he evaded the city income tax.
The attorney’s statement claims a significant amount equal to $ 1.17 million in tax-free income, which is directly related to rent and other expenses outlined above.
It was also known that Weisselberg paid for the tuition of two grandchildren from benefits at the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in the amount of over $ 350,000.
The checks were paid from the account of the expresident and signed by him, and then by his revocable trust. These payments were indirect compensation and did not withhold income tax. They were not included in Weisselberg’s W-2 Forms, and the Trump Organization or Trump Payroll Corp.
The charges come down to Weisselberg
In the course of the probe, a new prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, appeared. The main defendant in the case remains Allan Weisselberg, a top manager and chief financial officer of the company, who has worked for Trump since 1973.
Also involved in the case is the former daughter-in-law Jennifer Weisselberg. She also testified and met with investigators on several occasions. It is known that the father of her ex-husband helped the family significantly, in amounts of several thousand dollars.
Perhaps pressure on Weisselberg will force him to cooperate against Trump and his company.
The case touches critics, and they consider it frivolous with little responsibility after two impeachments and an investigation by special lawyer Robert Mueller.
Dan Berman and CNN’s Marshal Cohen contributed to this report.
