Donald Trump’s company and its longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg will stand trial in October related to a 15-year criminal tax fraud scheme after a judge ruled Friday that the case will go forward.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan declined to dismiss the indictment against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization for a case that was filed last year alleging a long-running scheme to cheat tax authorities by failing to report compensation given to company executives.
Keeping the indictment almost entirely intact, Merchan dismissed one count of criminal tax fraud against the Trump Organization, not Weisselberg, on statute of limitations grounds.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleges the former president’s company kept two sets of books in an effort to conceal perks like apartments, cars and tuition payments that were being doled out but were not reported as taxable income. The company and Weisselberg have pleaded not guilty.
Weisselberg is accused of personally saving almost $1 million in taxes as a result of the conduct. Prosecutors previously said the loyal Trump Organization executive — who resisted efforts by prosecutors to get him to cooperate against Trump — allegedly signed illegal compensation checks and orchestrated the scheme with others at the company who have not been identified.
Trump has been under investigation by the same prosecutor’s office in relation to asset valuation practices at the company. Two former lead prosecutors on the case resigned in protest earlier this year after the sitting district attorney, Alvin Bragg (D), signaled he was not ready to indict Trump at the time.
Bragg inherited the case from his predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. After the departure of the two attorneys, he appointed one of his own executives, Susan Hoffinger, to lead the probe. Hoffinger and another veteran litigator, Joshua Steinglass, who appeared in court, are part of a seven-attorney trial team handling Weisselberg’s case.
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan declined to dismiss the indictment against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization for a case that was filed last year alleging a long-running scheme to cheat tax authorities by failing to report compensation given to company executives.
Keeping the indictment almost entirely intact, Merchan dismissed one count of criminal tax fraud against the Trump Organization, not Weisselberg, on statute of limitations grounds.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleges the former president’s company kept two sets of books in an effort to conceal perks like apartments, cars and tuition payments that were being doled out but were not reported as taxable income. The company and Weisselberg have pleaded not guilty.
Weisselberg is accused of personally saving almost $1 million in taxes as a result of the conduct. Prosecutors previously said the loyal Trump Organization executive — who resisted efforts by prosecutors to get him to cooperate against Trump — allegedly signed illegal compensation checks and orchestrated the scheme with others at the company who have not been identified.
Trump has been under investigation by the same prosecutor’s office in relation to asset valuation practices at the company. Two former lead prosecutors on the case resigned in protest earlier this year after the sitting district attorney, Alvin Bragg (D), signaled he was not ready to indict Trump at the time.
Bragg inherited the case from his predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. After the departure of the two attorneys, he appointed one of his own executives, Susan Hoffinger, to lead the probe. Hoffinger and another veteran litigator, Joshua Steinglass, who appeared in court, are part of a seven-attorney trial team handling Weisselberg’s case.
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24.
