The Trump Organization has been accused of tax evasion

Donald Trump’s company was found guilty on 17 charges following a weeks-long criminal trial in Manhattan.

The company named after Donald Trump was found guilty of tax evasion following a week-long criminal investigation in which prosecutors demanded the former president ” Explicitly sanctioned tax evasion. The organization was found guilty of all 17 charges after less than two days of jury deliberations.

The lawsuit against several companies named after Trump (The The Trump Organization, Trump Payroll Corp. and Trump Corporation) stemming from a 2021 indictment. Prosecutors said the companies conspired in a 15-year tax evasion scheme. “The fraud centered on the payment of untaxed benefits to Alan Weiselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.” A bold and visionary illegal payments scheme “.

Prosecutors argued that Weiselberg received many benefits for nearly 50 years of loyalty. Starting in 2005, Weiselberg lived for free in a Manhattan apartment paid for by the Trump Corporation.

The company also covers its utility bills and parking charges Accusation. Those perks didn’t stop at free residency: Trump’s company covered the rent for two Mercedes-Benzes, which Weiselberg and his wife reportedly considered their personal cars. Several of Trump’s companies also paid Weiselberg during the December holidays so he could donate ” Personal allowance for vacation “. In total, these generous gifts reached $1.7 million in tax-free benefits.

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In August, Weiselberg was charged with 15 counts of making those payments. The septuagenarian replied: Yes, your honor When Judge Juan Mercon asked him if he had Committed to a plan “With the Trump Organization” defrauding federal, New York State and New York City tax authorities Weiselberg’s firm endorsement appears to put Trump’s businesses directly at the center of criminal activity, including tax evasion and falsifying business documents.

Weiselberg was the prosecution’s star witness during the trial. He linked Trump’s businesses to illegal tax practices. Weiselberg told jurors that the rent for his free apartment ” Endorsed by Donald Trump “. She also said Trump paid for her grandchildren’s private school tuition, which lawyers said was a taxable benefit.

During his second day of testimony, Weiselberg said that when Trump became president, he and other company executives tried to remove suspicious financial activity from the records of several of Trump’s companies. ” After Mr. Trump took over as president, we cleaned up the company completely to get everything right. Mr. When Trump became president, everyone looked at our company from every angle [nous avons passé en revue] All the practices we have used over the years and […] We fixed everything we needed to fix “.

Although Trump himself did not appear on trial, prosecutors directly linked him to illegal financial activities during their second day of oral arguments. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass showed jurors a 2012 document signed by Donald Trump approving a $72,000 pay cut for Matthew Calamari, the Trump Organization’s chief operating officer. Although it was a pay cut, Calamari received benefits that lawyers say should have been taxed.

Prosecutors argued throughout the trial that Trump and his companies knew Calamari, Weiselberg and Comptroller Jeffrey McCone were involved in practices aimed at providing executives with untaxed income through perks.

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For their part, lawyers representing Trump’s companies have insisted that the companies did nothing wrong and that Weiselberg was acting on his behalf. ” Mr. Weiselberg dedicated his life to the Trump family…Fred, Don, Don Jr. Trump helped build the organization into what it is today.Defense attorney Susan Nessels told jurors during closing arguments. But along the way he made mistakes, he got greedy – and once he started it was hard to stop. Mr. Weiselberg admitted that during this lengthy scheme, no one in the Trump family was aware of his ongoing attempts to evade taxes. He was ashamed of what he was doing: you saw him on the witness stand, almost crying. He knew he was doing something wrong, he was ashamed of it and he kept it a secret. When his mistakes came to light, the Trump family did not fire him. How to dismiss his own family member? »

Nessels also pointed out that Weiselberg did not provide any testimony directly implicating the companies in illegal activities. ” He atones for his sins, but as part of the plea deal, he is forced to testify against the society he helped build. Now, the prosecution rests on one case: Mr. Trying to convince you, the jurors, that Weiselberg’s actions were done on behalf of the company. [Pourtant]They were done only for his own benefit – that is the crucial issue in this case”.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was pleased with Tuesday’s ruling. ” It is a case of greed and fraud. In Manhattan, no company is above the lawHe said in a statement. For 13 years, the Trump Corporation and the Trump Pay Commission have provided lavish perks and compensation to top executives while deliberately hiding these benefits from tax authorities to avoid paying taxes. Today’s ruling calls for accountability for the Trump Organization’s long-running criminal scheme, in addition to CFO Alan Weiselberg, who pleaded guilty and now faces prison time. »

Victoria Beckhambys

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Translated by the author