More than three years after Manhattan prosecutors began investigating Donald Trump – after going to the Supreme Court twice to have access to his tax records – The only criminal trial arising from their efforts is about to begin.
No, the former president will not be tried. His company is.
The Trump Organization, which owns Trump’s buildings, golf courses, and other properties, accused of helping some top executives evade income taxes about the compensation they receive in addition to their salary, like free apartments and luxury cars.
Trump signed several checks at the center of the case but he has not been charged with anything and is not expected to testify or attend the trial, which begins Monday with the jury’s choice. group.
If found guilty, the Trump Organization could be fined more than $1 million – but that’s not the only potential fallout.
Trump’s ardent supporters are unlikely to abandon him, no matter the outcome, but a guilty verdict could hamper his company’s ability to get loans and make deals. ta. New York City, for one, could use the legal cloud as a new justification for seeking to get rid of corporate governance. a golf course owned by the city.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has said his office’s investigation into Trump is “active and ongoing,” and that no final decision has been made on whether he can. face criminal charges in the future.
Trump, a Republican, has criticized the investigation as a “political witch hunt.”
The Trump Organization has said it did nothing wrong and that it looks forward to “having our day in court.”
Judge Juan Manuel Mercan expected the tax fraud trial, which is heavy on financial records and expert testimony, to last at least four weeks after the jury takes its seat. Given Trump’s popularity as a polarizing businessman and politician, it can take some time to find jurors who feel they can hear the case fairly.
The main witness for the expected prosecution is Allen Weisselberg, one of Trump’s most trusted senior executives.
Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August to receive more than $1.7 million worth of untaxed perks from the company, including tuition for his grandchildren, a Manhattan apartment, and Mercedes cars for him and his wife.
His testimony came as part of a plea agreement that required him to serve a maximum of five months at New York City’s Rikers Island prison complex, although he could be released later. a little over three months with good behavior. The former Trump Organization chief financial officer also had to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties, interest, and complete five years of probation.
Weisselberg, 75, has intimate knowledge of the Trump Organization’s financial dealings from nearly five decades at the company, but he is believed to be unrelated to Trump or any member of the family. Trump family in their testimony.
In pleading guilty, Weisselberg blamed the conspiracy on himself and other top Trump Organization executives, including the vice president and senior controller, Jeffrey McConney.
McConney received limited immunity to testify last year before a grand jury and was also able to appear in the witness stand at the trial. The company’s chief security officer, Matthew Calamari Jr., son of chief executive Matthew Calamari Sr., also received immunity from grand jury testimony.
When Trump and Weisselberg Organization to be indicted in 2021prosecutors called the tax plan “sweeping and audacious” and said it was “staged by top-level executives.”
Besides Weisselberg, two other Trump Organization executives, who were not named, also received substantial compensation, including accommodation and car rentals, the indictment said.
“The purpose of the plan is to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization executives in an ‘off-the-book’ manner,” the indictment said.
The Trump Organization is the organization through which the former president manages many of his business ventures, including real estate investments, numerous marketing deals, and his television pursuits.
Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, have been in charge of day-to-day operations since he became president. Because the criminal trial involves charges against a corporate entity, not any individual, the Trumps will not be held personally liable if the jury is found guilty.
The criminal case is one of two legal cases underway through the courts in New York that threatens to destroy the gilded facade of the Trump empire.
Last month, New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a civil lawsuit accused Trump and the Trump Organization of misleading banks and others for years about the value of his assets. The civil lawsuit seeks $250 million and a permanent ban on Trump from doing business in the state.
A trial is scheduled on that matter for October 31 as James looking for an independent supervisor to oversee the activities of the Trump Organization after she accused the company of taking steps to avoid potential penalties, such as creating a new entity called Trump Organization II.
Those aren’t the only legal challenges Trump faces as he ponders a potential return campaign for the presidency.
Last week, Trump was sworn in by oath of impeachment in a lawsuit brought by magazine columnist E. Jean Carrollwho said he raped her in the mid-1990s in a department store dressing room.
Meanwhile, the FBI is continuing to investigate Trump’s storage sensitive government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate In Florida.
A special grand jury in Georgia is investigating whether Trump and others tried to influence state election officials.
On Friday, the House committee investigating the January 6 uprising Issue subpoena for Trump.
