The jury is set to begin deliberations in the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization, which is accused of a sweeping, 15-year scheme to compensate top executives of former President Donald Trump’s company off the books.
with scheming to defraud, tax fraud and falsifying records. Weisselberg was also hit with a grand larceny charge. Prosecutors say he used his position to get out of paying taxes on more than $1.7 million in income.Trump Organization lawyerse that the prosecution’s star witness in the criminal trial, Weisselberg, committed his crimes to benefit himself.
“We are here today because of one reason and one reason only, because of the greed of Allen Weisselberg,” defense lawyer Susan Necheles said Thursday. She added that Weisselberg “wanted a deal with the government because he knew he did something wrong and was afraid of a long prison sentence.”to tax evasion, agreed to testify in exchange for a five-month jail sentence. The ex-CFO received $1.
Lawyers for the defense sharply objected to the prosecution’s attention on Trump, which came after attorneys for the Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. also invoked the former president’s name repeatedly while arguing that he was unaware of any tax schemes or the crimes Weisselberg admitted to. Michael van der Veen, who represents the Trump Payroll Corp. in the case, asked the judge for a mistrial, but acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied the request. “I don’t believe it is necessary to declare a mistrial, nor do I think that’s even a thought,” he said.
Trump has publicly blasted the investigation into his company as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” The former president’s company could incur fines up to $1.6 million if it is convicted on all counts. A conviction could also impede the company’s ability to obtain future financing,
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