The Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities yesterday ahead of expected charges against him and former President Donald Trump’s company, according to multiple news outlets.
Weisselberg was seen walking into the the courthouse in lower Manhattan around 6:20 a.m. (EDT) with his lawyer.
New York prosecutors were expected to announce the first criminal indictment yesterday in a two-year investigation into Trump’s business practices, accusing his namesake company and Weisselberg of tax crimes related to fringe benefits for employees.
The Trump Organization released a statement yesterday defending Weisselberg, describing him as a family man who has worked at the company for 48 years.
“He is now being used by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former President. The District Attorney is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other District Attorney would ever think of bringing. This is not justice; this is politics,” the organization wrote in the statement.
The charges against the Trump Organization and Weisselberg remained sealed Wednesday night but were to be unveiled ahead of an afternoon arraignment at a state court in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.
There was no indication Trump himself would be charged at this stage of the investigation, jointly pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats.
Trump did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions about the New York case as he visited Texas on Wednesday, but earlier in the week, the Republican had blasted the New York prosecutors as “rude, nasty, and totally biased” and said his company’s actions were “standard practice throughout the U.S. business community, and in no way a crime.”
The planned charges were said to be linked to benefits the company gave to top executives, like the use of apartments, cars and school tuition, the people familiar with the matter told the AP.
Weisselberg’s lawyer, Mary Mulligan, declined to comment. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment. Michael R. Sisak, MDT/AP
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