The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has informed former President Donald Trump's attorneys that criminal charges are being considered against The Trump Organization, and sources with knowledge of the matter said charges could be announced against the family business and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, as early as next week.
The charges are said to be in connection with fringe benefits that The Trump Organization gave a company employee and whether taxes were paid on the perks or if they were recorded in the company's ledgers, The New York Times reported Friday afternoon.
Vance's office has been building a case for months against Weisselberg, examining whether taxes had been paid on benefits including apartment rent payments, car leases, and tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for one of his grandchildren.
Prosecutors are also investigating whether the fringe benefits were recorded in The Trump Organization's company ledgers.
If an indictment is filed, it would be the first criminal charge from Vance's wide-ranging, lengthy investigation into the organization's business dealings and could leave Trump to have to defend his company, which has been around for decades.
Vance's office has been attempting to pressure Weisselberg for months to cooperate with the inquiry into The Trump Organization, but before now, it wasn't known that the company could also face charges.
On Thursday, Trump's attorneys met with senior prosecutors in an attempt to talk them out of plans to charge the organization with criminal activity, reports The Times, quoting people familiar with their meeting.
Such talks are considered routine during investigations into white-collar crime, and it was not clear if a final decision has been reached on charging The Trump Organization with criminal actions.
The organization has denied wrongdoing for some time, and several lawyers specializing in tax rules say it would be unusual to indict any company for not paying taxes on fringe benefits, even while pointing out that companies often provide employees with pricey extras like company cars.
Meanwhile, it was not clear if Trump will eventually face charges himself, which could be damaging at a time when he's flirting with a run in 2024 to reclaim the White House after losing it to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The investigation, which started three years ago while Trump was still president, is also examining if the organization had manipulated the value of properties it owns to get favorable loans and tax breaks.
Prosecutors are also examining statements the organization has made to insurance companies about the values of its assets and whether employees like Weisselberg played a role in making hush-money payments to two women, including adult film actress Stormy Daniels, during Trump's 2016 campaign.
Trump says the investigation is a "witch hunt," but lost his fight against a subpoena from Vance's office for eight years of his corporate and personal tax returns.
A spokesperson for Vance's office and one of Weisselberg's attorneys, Mary Mulligan, refused comment on the possible indictments, and a Trump Organization official could not be reached for a reaction, The Times noted.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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