The trial for tax fraud and evasion of the Trump Organization, the family business of Donald Trump, opened Monday in New York, a new legal test for the former president, who however does not appear and is not targeted on a personal basis in this criminal aspect.
Donald Trump reacted at midday on his social network Truth Social by accusing his political opponents, President Joe Biden’s Democrats, of continuing a “witch hunt” two weeks before the elections mid-term legislative elections.
This trial in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, in Manhattan, began in the morning, according to several channels, with the selection of jurors. It concerns accusations of irregularities in the company’s accounts since 2005 and of compensation received by group leaders which were hidden from the tax authorities.
Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, 75, reached a court settlement in August and pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax evasion and evasion involving $1.76 million. US dollars of undeclared income between 2005 and 2021.
Apartment and two Mercedes
This close friend of Donald Trump, who is therefore not being prosecuted but is appearing as a witness, admitted to having benefited from undeclared benefits in kind, in particular an apartment in an upscale neighborhood of Manhattan, the rental of two Mercedes for him and his wife , or cash for vacation.
He will be one of the key witnesses in the trial against the company, currently run by two of the former president’s sons – Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump – and which owns investments in real estate, hotels and golf courses, among others. Two subsidiaries, Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corp, are targeted.
Donald Trump, on Truth Social, accused the Democratic camp of years of “’torturing’ and threatening a longtime executive of the Trump’ Organization, alluding to his stalwart Weisselberg.
“Allen Weisselberg admitted in court to having used his position at the Trump Organization to defraud taxpayers and enrich himself personally,” Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg said in August, when the former chief financial officer had pleaded guilty.
“The agreement reached with justice directly links the Trump Organization to a wide range of criminal activities,” he added.
According to the agreement, Mr. Weisselberg must notably pay nearly 2 million dollars in taxes, with penalties and interest, and testify at the trial. He has so far always refused to testify against Donald Trump personally.
The Trump Organization, which pleaded not guilty, is accused of having kept parallel accounts, under the supervision of Mr. Weisselberg, to conceal the salary supplements he and other leaders received.
Heavy fine
If the facts are proven, the company could be fined around $1.7 million.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
Donald Trump, who has not officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election but does not hide his ambitions, is not himself targeted by this trial, unlike another civil part.
This other investigation, also relating to suspicions of tax evasion within the Trump Organization, is led by the Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James.
The latter announced in September lawsuits against Donald Trump and his children Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. She is seeking $250 million in reparations on behalf of New York State.
In a completely different file, on the assault on the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, the 45e President of the United States is now assigned to testify before a parliamentary committee “on or around November 14”.