A criminal tax investigation into a top Trump Organization executive was reportedly opened by the New York attorney general’s office.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James notified former President Donald Trump’s company via a letter in January that investigators are looking into whether taxes were paid by Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg on “fringe benefits,” cars, and private school tuition for at least one of his grandchildren, according to the New York Times.
Weisselberg has not been accused of wrongdoing, and the report said his lawyer, Mary Mulligan, declined to comment.
The report comes one day after James’s office announced it had informed the Trump Organization that its investigation into the business “is no longer purely civil in nature” and that “we are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity” along with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
Investigators have also looked into whether the Trump Organization and Trump improperly inflated the value of the former president’s assets on annual financial statements in order to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.
Following the announcement by James’s office, Trump reacted with outrage.
“There is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here,” Trump said in a lengthy statement posted on From the Desk of Donald Trump on Wednesday.
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In early March, Vance Jr. was engaging in efforts aimed at “flipping” Weisselberg, a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Post. The district attorney had been focusing questions on two of Weisselberg’s sons, one of whom works directly for the Trump Organization and the other issued loans to the company.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that New York prosecutors subpoenaed a Manhattan private school as Vance tries to secure the cooperation of Weisselberg in his inquiry into Trump and his company.
