Trump Organization Convicted on All Charges in Criminal Tax-Fraud Case
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
A criminal court jury in Manhattan found the Trump Organization guilty on all charges in a criminal tax fraud scheme on Tuesday.
The Trump Corporation was convicted on nine criminal counts, while the Trump Payroll Corporation was found guilty of eight criminal counts. Both corporations are a part of the Trump Organization. The 17 counts include scheme to defraud, conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records.
The two corporations face criminal penalties of up to $1.6 million. Jurors deliberated for just over a day before reaching a verdict.
Former president Donald Trump was not charged in the case and claimed in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that the district attorney’s office had been “fighting a political Witch Hunt for D.C. against ‘Trump.'”
The Trump Organization and its former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg were indicted last year, with prosecutors alleging that the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporations paid their “already highly paid executives,” even more by “cheating on their taxes” between 2005 and June 2021. The company relied on off-the-books benefits including luxury cars and free apartments.
The 75-year-old former CFO pleaded guilty to 15 felony charges in August after a three-year investigation by the Manhattan DA’s office.
The two corporations argued Weisselberg was to blame for the scheme and that he had implemented the plan to his own benefit.
Weisselberg, who received a reduced sentence for testifying on behalf of the DA’s office, evaded $1.76 million in taxes through the receipt of various luxury perks, prosecutors said.
“It was my own personal greed that led to this,” Weisselberg said during an emotional testimony.
While Trump was not involved in the trial, prosecutors told jurors Trump had signed off on bonus checks and memos that allowed top executives to avoid reporting taxable income. Trump’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, also signed off on bonus checks made out to independent contractors, according to Weisselberg’s testimony, allowing the former CFO to hide taxable income.
Jeffrey McConney, a senior vice president and controller for the Trump Organization, testified that he worked with Weisselberg to help conceal the perks by issuing false tax documents or by reducing salaries.
