Trump Organization financier Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities in Manhattan on Thursday and was sued by the district attorney for failing to accurately report benefits offered by the company, including rent-free housing, tuition reimbursement and the cars. All of these 15-year arrangements, the Prosecutor's Office has described as "a comprehensive and brazen scheme of illegal payments"
The Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, have been charged with a "comprehensive and brazen scheme of illegal payments" in tax-related crimes, in the first criminal indictment against the former president's company. , after years of investigation by prosecutors in New York.
Weisselberg, who worked for the Trump family for nearly 50 years, turned himself in to Manhattan authorities on Thursday and was sued by the district attorney for failing to accurately report benefits provided by the company, including rent-free housing. , covering tuition and car expenses, in the latest phase of the escalating battle between New York prosecutors and the former president.
Reporters and cameramen have gathered outside the courthouse at 100 Center Street, awaiting the trial. The 15-count indictment against Weisselberg includes charges of grand larceny, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. The Trump Organization has been sued over the fraud scheme.
According to prosecutors, the Trump Organization paid employees rent, utility bills, garage bills, tuition and other living expenses without properly declaring them, "so they could and did pay federal taxes." , state and local in amounts that were far lower than the amounts that should have been paid".
Carey Dunne, general counsel at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, said the 15-year arrangement coincided with a "comprehensive and brazen scheme of illegal payments."
also
A lawsuit is filed against the Trump Organization in connection with a tax investigation
"The scheme was orchestrated by top executive officials in the Trump Organization," prosecutors said, adding that Weisselberg was "one of the largest individual beneficiaries" of the scheme. According to prosecutors, he received $1.75 million in illegal payments, including rent, utility bills and garage expenses for his Manhattan apartment, as well as tuition expenses for family members.
Weisselberg and a lawyer for the Trump Organization have pleaded not guilty.
“This is not justice; it's politics", the organization announced in a statement. "Weisselberg is a devoted husband, father and grandfather" who "was used by the Manhattan prosecutor as bait in an attempt to harm the former president," the statement said.
While no lawsuits have been filed against Trump personally, the action represents a remarkable turning point for the former president, and others are expected to follow. Prosecutors in New York are still investigating allegations of "illegal money" paid to a woman they say had sex with Trump, as well as allegations of rigging real estate prices.
The allegations are a major blow to the Trump Organization, which may now find itself in even greater trouble generating money. They also pose a challenge to Trump's clear political ambitions. The former president has launched a series of campaign-style rallies and is eyeing another presidential term in 2024.
Regarding Weisselberg, Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified before Congress in 2019 that he helped orchestrate a $130.000 cover-up payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had intimate relationship with Trump. Cohen also testified that he and Weisselberg fabricated appraisals of Trump's properties to lower their value for tax purposes.
also
Trump's company is expected to be charged with tax crimes
Regarding these accusations, Trump spoke on Fox News on Wednesday.
"The prosecutors of the radical left in New York are coming after me", he said. "You have to fight all the time. You have to keep fighting."
