“This case is not about politics, this investigation which is ongoing, is proper.”
Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Carey Dunne on the 15-count indictment handed down against former President Donald Trump's company and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Trump Org and CFO charged in 15-count indictment
Published on
jul 1, 2021
lawcrime
- On Thursday, Manhattan prosecutors charged the Trump Organization and its CFO with engaging in a scheme to defraud federal, state and local tax authorities, as well as conspiracy, tax fraud and falsifying business records.
- The complaint states that the "purpose of the scheme was to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization executives in a manner that was ‘off the books’: the beneficiaries of the scheme received substantial portions of their income through indirect and disguised means, with compensation that was unreported or misreported by the Trump Corporation or Trump Payroll Corp to the tax authorities.”
- Some, but not all of the charges are against both the Trump Organization and Weisselberg. The highest charge against Weisselberg is one for grand larceny, a felony which carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years.
- Big Picture: The complaint does not charge former President Trump, the founder of the Trump Organization. The Trump Organization is a corporation and corporations cannot be sentenced to serve time in jail and/or prison. For now, the big implication for the Trump Organization is whether the indictment impacts current and/or future banks and clients from engaging in business dealings.
- Lawyers for the Trump Organization said the charges are politically motivated, and that the matter is civil one, which should not involve criminal charges.
