Longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg surrendered to New York authorities, facing tax-related charges in the most direct attack on Donald Trump and his aftermath. Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Cyrus Vance Jr.
The exact charges he faces will be unveiled later today, but are expected to involve unpaid taxes on Weisselberg’s benefits, according to a person familiar with the issue who asked not to be identified to discuss confidential matters.
Trump shouldn’t be named in the charges, but they are stepping up pressure on Weisselberg to cooperate against his boss.
Weisselberg’s cooperation could lead to a broader case against the company and raise the prospect of a historic and politically charged prosecution of a former president. A Trump executive for four decades, Weisselberg has a unique insight into the former president’s finances and trade deals.
Trump Organization attorney Ronald Fischetti said last week that the district attorney’s case looked slim.
Vance’s investigation initially focused on reimbursement by the Trump Organization, through Weisselberg’s office, of secret money payments made by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer. As the 2016 election neared, Cohen paid off two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
An accountant by training, Allen Weisselberg, 73, spent most of his career in the Trump family’s real estate empire, which he joined in 1973. When Donald Trump entered the White House in 2017, he had been tasked with managing the Trump Organization with the two sons of the new president, Eric and Donald Jr.
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