Report: Criminal Charges for the Trump Organization and Its CFO May Be Just the Beginning

Is Donald Trump finally going to face consequences for being one of the worst people in history, and possibly a criminal? On Thursday, things took a step in that direction!

While the ex-president was not personally indicted, the business he owns, the Trump Organization, and its longtime CFO, Allen Weisselberg, were hit with a slew of criminal charges that could result in a “death blow” to his company and, should Weisselberg decide to save himself and cooperate, a scenario in which Trump spends his twilight years behind bars. Per Bloomberg:

Weisselberg and lawyers for the company appeared in a lower Manhattan courtroom Thursday afternoon for arraignment on 15 felony counts by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. Charges include tax fraud, scheme to defraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records, and Weisselberg, 73, also faces a grand larceny count that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

During the arraignment before New York state court judge Juan Merchan, Assistant District Attorney Carey Dunne said the indictment involved a “sweeping and audacious” 15-year scheme to avoid taxes on perks like cars, apartments and private-school tuition extended to the CFO and other employees. Such benefits are usually counted as compensation and failure to pay taxes on them is illegal. According to the indictment, Weisselberg personally received $1.76 million in unreported benefits.

“The scheme was intended to allow certain employees to substantially understate their compensation from the Trump Organization so that they could and did pay federal, state and local taxes in amounts that were significantly less than the amounts that should have been paid,” Dunne told the judge. Both Weisselberg and the company pleaded not guilty, and the CFO, who was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, was released at the end of the hearing after surrendering his passport.

While Trump himself was not named in the charges, as Bloomberg notes, “the case may only be the opening salvo by the district attorney, who has been probing possible bank and insurance fraud at the company as well.” The charges against Weisselberg, who has thus far refused to testify against Trump, could very likely impact his decision to continue to stay loyal to his boss, given that he could be facing more than a dozen years in prison.

A cooperation deal with Weisselberg could lead to a more expansive case against the company and raise the prospect of a historic and politically charged prosecution of a former president. With a trial unlikely before next year, the CFO will have months to decide whether to fight the charges or plead guilty and possibly strike a deal with prosecutors. A Trump executive for four decades, Weisselberg has unique insight into the former president’s finances and business deals.

Weisselberg has referred to himself as Trump’s “eyes and ears” at the company, and would theoretically know if and how any crimes had been committed, and how to walk a jury through them. As his ex-daughter-in-law Jennifer Weisselberg, who reportedly handed over numerous boxes of financial documents to prosecutors this spring, noted in April, “Trump doesn’t care about Allen, but Allen knows every bad thing he ever did.”

On Thursday, the Trump Organization issued a statement calling Weisselberg’s indictment “a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president,” adding that Vance was “bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other district attorney would ever think of bringing.”

He also seems to bizarrely believe that his company and CFO being criminally indicted will help his political fortunes, according to Politico:

Trump was thrilled by what he saw as light charges, and according to one of [his] advisers…his mind raced to 2024.

“Just wait until 2024, you’ll see,” Trump said. The former president implied that the legal case would be seen as a political witch hunt that would backfire on Democrats. “This is going to hurt Sleepy Joe.”

The [unnamed] adviser had the impression that Trump, who was already coming off a high from the large crowd at his rally in Ohio last weekend, was emboldened by the news. “Now he’s definitely going to run for president” again, the person said.

Whatever helps you sleep at night!

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