Criminal charges in the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into the Trump Organization appear to be imminent, according to a lawyer for former President Donald Trump’s family business.
Lawyers for the company participated in a virtual meeting with prosecutors on Thursday to discuss the inquiry looking into fringe benefits provided to top executives, after which one of the lawyers said the Trump Organization would fight to get the case dismissed.
“It looks like they are going to come down with charges against the company, and that is completely outrageous,” Trump Organization lawyer Ron Fischetti told NBC News.
“The corporate office will plead not guilty, and we will make an immediate motion to dismiss the case against the corporation,” Fischetti added.
NEW YORK CITY PRIVATE SCHOOL SUBPOENAED IN CONNECTION WITH TRUMP ORGANIZATION INVESTIGATION
If the case moves ahead, the New York Times cited sources who said District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. could announce charges as soon as next week.
Vance’s team of prosecutors has been investigating Trump’s financial dealings and his business empire since 2018, along with lawyers from New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office.
The Manhattan prosecutor convened a grand jury last month to consider evidence in the criminal investigation into Trump’s business dealings, which Trump has dismissed as “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history.”
Jeffrey McConney, a longtime controller of the Trump Organization, was the first employee from the company to testify before the grand jury on June 4, following a subpoena. Former Justice Department official and FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann previously said McConney’s testimony could be “really bad news potentially” for the Trump Organization and some members involved.
Additionally, the long-serving chief financial officer of Trump’s business, Allen Weisselberg, is a central figure in the criminal tax investigation. Prosecutors may be looking into whether Weisselberg or the former president signed off on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tuition checks for a preparatory school that the Weisselberg’s grandchildren attended and whether any taxes were paid on those benefits.
Vance fought in court to gain access to the former president’s personal and business tax returns through a grand jury subpoena filed in 2019 and gained access to them in February of this year via a Supreme Court ruling. In June, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also gained access to Weisselberg’s tax returns in order to give investigators a clearer view into whether any malfeasance was committed by the executive.
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Organizations, such as Trump’s business, can face fines and other penalties if they are found guilty of charges related to unscrupulous tax handlings, and criminal charges can also threaten an organization’s relationship with banks and business partners and cause lasting damage to a reputation, according to the New York Times.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Trump Organization and a representative for Fischetti’s office did not immediately receive a response. The district attorney’s office declined to comment.
