A Manhattan jury has convicted former President Donald Trump’s company of a long-running criminal tax fraud scheme that spanned his presidency.
This marks the first time Trump’s company has ever been charged, tried, and convicted on criminal charges.
Trump’s political brand was largely built on his self-proclaimed success as a businessman. The jury found two entities controlled by Trump guilty on 17 counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, with a maximum penalty of $1.6 million.
“This was a case about lying and cheating, false documents to the aid of evading taxes for the benefit of individuals and the corporation,” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said, speaking with reporters after the verdict was delivered.
The Trump Organization has responded to the verdict from a New York state court that found two of its business entities guilty of fraud, criticizing the decision and vowing to appeal.
Furthermore, the company’s attorney has sought to distance former President Donald Trump from the outcome.
“The notion that a company could be held responsible for an employees’ actions, to benefit themselves, on their own personal tax returns is simply preposterous,” the statement read.
The trial, which began with opening arguments from prosecutors on Halloween, focused on the alleged “greed and cheating” of the Trump Corporation, which encompasses most of the former president’s business empire, and the Trump Payroll Corporation, which processes payments to staff.
The verdict follows last summer’s guilty plea from Trump’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who became the prosecution’s star witness.