Trump wants to be President again, but tax fraud case rains on his parade
During the 2017 US Presidential Election campaigns of Donald Trump, he boasted and promised an awful lot of things, but above all, took extreme pride in claiming that he is a very successful and honest businessman. Now, a jury in Manhattan, New York, has found his company guilty of a long-running criminal tax fraud scheme.
This is the first time that Trump's company will ever face charges, even though the company has been in the midst of several investigations.
How much does Trump's company have to pay now? Reuters reports that the company faces up to $ 1.6 million in fines after being convicted on all charges; however, the exact amount will only be known on January 13, (the final statement day). However, Trump was not charged in the case.
By the way: After being named US President in January 2017, Trump resigned from all management roles within the Trump Organization, and delegated company management to his sons Donald Jr and Eric. However, Donald Trump retained his financial stakes.
The company CFO and Trump's most loyal employee, Allen Weisselberg, who already plead guilty in August 2022 to 15 counts of tax fraud, has been given six months of jail with a $ 2 million fine.
What was the case? Trump's organisation, which operates hotels, golf courses, and other real estate around the world, was found guilty of paying personal expenses for top executives including former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, for issuing bonus checks to them.
The company was found guilty on 17 counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, and Allen said he used the company money to:
- Pay for his rent, utilities,
- Mercedes-Benz car leases
and
- Other personal expenses rather than raising his salary, 'because a wage hike would have had to account for taxes'.
Even though multiple witnesses said that Trump and his family had no connection with this case whatsoever, NPR reports that certain evidence pointed the other way.
Some of the most attention-grabbing evidence presented to the jury were documents with Trump's signature: a rental agreement for a luxury apartment used by Weisselberg, and a private school tuition check written for a grandchild of Weisselberg's, NPR reports.
Donald Trump's other cases:
- Trump and his three oldest children will stand trial late next year in a civil lawsuit filed by New York Prosecutor Letitia James accusing them of manipulating the worth of their properties in order to benefit themselves. She has demanded that Trump pay at least $ 250 million in penalties, which she claims he earned through the fraud, and that his family should be barred from operating businesses in the state.
Photo: Prosecutor Letitia James - Trump is also considered responsible for inciting right-wingers, who in turn caused the January 6, 2020 US Capitol riots.
- E Jean Carroll, a columnist alleged that she was raped by Trump during the 1990s. Trump denied the allegations and in return filed a defamation case against her. The case is due in court in February 2023.
