by Giuseppe Sarcina
The New York court’s decision does not affect the former president directly, but it does damage his reputation, also in the face of other possible legal problems
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON — The first full condemnation of the Trump Organization. The former president isn’t directly involved, but the New York court’s ruling is undoubtedly a blow to his already questionable reputation. The jury found that two group companies, Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation, defrauded tax authorities by falsifying company accounts.
The judge should set the sentence: According to the American media, it could be a fine of up to 1.6 million dollars. A number that won’t ruin the Trump family business. However, the effects of the sentence are heavy. First, the judges broke the Omert Shield that had previously protected Trump’s business. Manhattan South District Attorney Cyrus Vance opened the investigation in July 2021, subpoenaing Allen Weisselberg, 75, the top executive for 46 years at the former New York property developer. Weisselberg’s resistance lasted a year. Then last August he broke down and pleaded guilty to all 15 charges the prosecutor had put forward.
With the complicity of his employee Jeffrey McConney, Weisselbberg hid compensation and benefits amounting to $1.7 million from the tax authorities and concealed, among other things, the rent for the apartment in one of the Trump Towers in Manhattan; leasing a luxury car; Payments for grandchildren’s universities. He would have paid for everything black. Weisselberg escaped at least 15 years in prison. But the decision of the Supreme Court, the highest court in New York, is a red flag for Trump. The investigation, which Vance initiated, passed to his successor, Alvin Bragg, and spans 15 years of what is considered opaque business operations, from falsifying financial statements to obtain loans from banks to making illicit payments, such as the $130,000 made to the Pornstar Stormy Daniels were paid. So the investigation can go one step further.
December 7, 2022 (change December 7, 2022 | 02:06)
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