Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has charged former President Donald Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, and his longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg with tax fraud, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in New York.
The charges are the first brought by New York prosecutors in the case since they launched their investigation nearly two years ago into the financial dealings of Trump, his company, his family, and associates.
Weisselberg and the company pleaded not guilty to criminal charges including grand larceny in the second degree as outlined in a lengthy indictment unsealed in Manhattan State Supreme Court. Weisselberg was released on his own recognizance but was required to surrender his passport.
The indictment said that, beginning in 2005, Weisselberg used the Trump corporation’s bank account to pay the rent for his apartment, and he and others paid his utility bills using the Trump corporation’s account. The indictment also accuses Weisselberg of concealing “indirect compensation” by using payments from the Trump Organization to cover nearly $360,000 in upscale private school payments for his family, and nearly $200,000 in luxury car leases.
“This was a 15-year-long tax fraud scheme,” said Carey Dunn, general counsel for the Manhattan DA’s office. “It was orchestrated by the most senior executives.”
The charges are a “disgrace” and “shameful,” former President Donald Trump told ABC News after the indictment was unsealed, calling Weisselberg “a tremendous person.”
Source-ABC
