Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial begins
The Trump Organization's criminal tax fraud trial begins this week with jury selection. Former CFO Allen Weisselberg will be the prosecutors' star witness during the trial.
The Trump Organization stands trial this week on what prosecutors allege was a 15-year scheme to compensate top executives of former President Donald Trump’s company “off the books” to help them avoid paying taxes — with the company's former chief financial officer appearing as the prosecution's star witness.
Jury selection begins Monday, with potential panelists likely to be questioned intensely about whether they can be impartial in a case that involves the former president and his eponymous company.
The Trump Organization and Weisselberg, its longtime chief financial officer, were indicted last year following a yearslong investigation into the company's financial practices by the Manhattan district attorney's office. Weisselberg, 75, pleaded guilty to 15 felony charges in August.
As part of his plea agreement, the loyal Trump confidant agreed to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, interest and penalties, and serve five months in jail followed by five years of probation. He also agreed "to testify truthfully at the upcoming trial of the Trump Organization" or face a sentence of up to 5 to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said Weisselberg had used his position at the company “to bilk taxpayers and enrich himself,” and that his “plea agreement directly implicates the Trump Organization in a wide range of criminal activity and requires Weisselberg to provide invaluable testimony."
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