Opening statements are set for Monday in the criminal case accusing former President Donald Trump’s real estate company of a 15-year tax fraud.
The Trump Organization is accused of defrauding tax authorities between at least 2005 and 2021 by providing “off the books” benefits to company executives and paying bonuses as non-employee compensation.
If convicted, the company – which operates hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world – could face up to $1.6 million in fines. It could also further complicate the real estate firm’s ability to do business.
A panel of 12 jurors and six alternates were chosen last week for the case, which will be heard in New York state court in Manhattan.
The trial is expected to last over a month. A unanimous verdict is required for conviction on each count of tax fraud, scheming to defraud, and falsifying business records.
Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer, agreed to testify as a prosecution witness at trial as part of a plea agreement for him to receive a sentence of five months in jail.
But in a pretrial hearing this month, a Trump Organization lawyer accused Weisselberg of lying, an indication of the bind the company finds itself in.
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