Trump Organization Found Guilty Of Tax Fraud

Zinger Key Points
  • The Trump Organization was found guilty on all 17 counts, including tax fraud, a scheme to defraud and conspiracy.
  • The former president blamed the trial on a politically driven witch hunt.

Former President Donald Trump's family real estate firm was convicted Tuesday of tax evasion and other financial crimes in what prosecutors called a "culture of fraud and deception" at the Trump Organization.

What Happened: After more than a day of jury deliberation in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, the Trump Organization was found guilty on all 17 counts, including tax fraud, a scheme to defraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records, The New York Times reported. 

The conviction stemmed from a long-running scheme in which the Trump Organization gave out off-the-books luxury perks to some executives.

Executives at the Trump Organization provided luxurious apartments, rented Mercedes-Benzes and paid for private school tuition for family, none of which was taxed, according to the report. 

Read also: Donald Trump Defeated Again: Federal Appeals Court Halts Special Master Review Of Documents Seized From Mar-A-Lago

The Manhattan district attorney's office, which was in charge of the case against two Trump Organization entities, had obtained a guilty plea from the scheme's architect, Allen Weisselberg, the company's long-serving CFO who was dismissed by Trump Org's lawyers.

Lawyers for the Trump Organization have asserted that Weisselberg acted alone and that he bears sole responsibility.

While testifying, Weisselberg revealed that Trump's children, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., were not penalized after they discovered in 2017 that Weisselberg and other executives had been cheating on their taxes.

Trump and his children are not accused in the case, but the former president's real estate company may face fines of up to $1.6 million.

Trump has blamed the trial on a politically driven witch hunt that he said has tarnished the Trump Organization as a felonious enterprise.

Read next: Trump's PAC Reportedly Footing Legal Bills Of Mar-A-Lago Witnesses: 'Should Look Very Suspicious' To DoJ

Photo via Shutterstock. 

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Posted In: NewsPoliticsLegalTop StoriesMediaGeneralDonald TrumpTrump Organization Allen Weisselberg
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