The real estate company of former US President Donald Trump has been found guilty of tax fraud in a New York court case.
After about two days of deliberations, a jury found the company guilty on all 17 counts, Manhattan Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Tuesday. The verdict will be announced on January 13, 2023. Ex-President Trump was not personally accused. His business empire faces a fine of more than $1.5 million.
Trump avoids possible jail time
In addition to the Trump Organization and another co-defendant Trump company, the company’s longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, who had pleaded guilty, was charged. In his testimony, he admitted that he and other employees had systematically defrauded the tax authorities for years. Benefits such as luxury cars and expensive apartments were not taxed.
The 75-year-old escaped a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years. Instead, he was ordered to pay a total of nearly $2 million in taxes and fines owed and was sentenced to five months in prison and an additional five years of probation. (SDA)