On Thursday, the Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer (CFO) Allen Weisselberg surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office following reports that a grand jury filed criminal indictments against the executive and the organization for tax-related crimes, multiple news outlets reported.
According to The New York Times, Weisselberg, who has worked for Trump for decades and kept his books since the 1980s, was accompanied by his lawyer Mary E. Mulligan when he turned himself in at about 6:20 a.m. He is expected to be arraigned in the afternoon along with other company representatives.
Weisselberg is the subject of a criminal tax investigation by Vance’s office. Prosecutors are reportedly looking into whether benefits given to Weisselberg and other executives appeared in the company’s financial record-keeping system and if the company paid taxes on those benefits.
Former President Trump is not expected to be charged when the indictment is unsealed later Thursday. Ronald Fischetti, an attorney representing Trump, said in an interview on Monday that Vance’s office told him it is currently only considering charges against the Trump Organization and individual employees for allegedly not paying taxes on company benefits.
However, Trump could be charged at a later time as New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is also investigating his business dealings. Her office announced last month that it was investigating the organization in a “criminal capacity,” in addition to a “civil capacity.”
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization criticized the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) in a statement, arguing he “is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other District Attorney would ever think of bringing. This is not justice; this is politics.”
“Allen Weisselberg is a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather who has worked at the Trump Organization for 48 years. He is now being used by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former President,” the spokesperson asserted.
