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The companies that are part of the Trump Organization were convicted by a New York state court that found the existence of a criminal scheme that operated for 15 years to defraud the tax authorities. The former US president was not directly accused in the case, but the accusations are added to the list of legal processes that the tycoon has in the middle of his re-election race.
The real estate company that Donald Trump built his empire on has been convicted on charges of a criminal tax fraud scheme that lasted nearly 15 years.
The Trump Organization pleaded not guilty and its lawyers assured that they will demonstrate that the crimes were not committed on behalf of the corporation. Trump was not directly charged in the case, but the prosecutor accused the former president of knowing “exactly what was going on.”
“We will certainly appeal, of course. We are going to focus on the definition of ‘on behalf of’ … we have filed a large number of documents on what those words mean,” said Michael van der Veen, Trump’s lawyer. Payroll Corp.
Prosecutors said that The company criminally evaded taxes and suppressed payroll costs by lavishing its executives with unreported perks, such as car leases and luxury apartments.
“This was a case about lies and deceit, using false documents so that individuals and corporations could evade taxes,” said Alvin Bragg, attorney for the General District of Manhattan.
After 10 hours of deliberations and three years of investigation, the companies were found guilty of 17 charges that could carry fines of up to $1.6 million.
It marks the first time a Trump company has been convicted of criminal conduct and comes just as the former president is running for a second term and as he faces a host of other legal allegations, including criminal investigations into his handling of classified documents after he left the position in January 2021.
The tycoon is also under magistrates’ magnifying glass after trying to annul the November 2020 elections, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The judgment of the case is still awaited, which was scheduled by the judge for January 13, 2023.
With AP and Reuters
