Trump company's CFO surrenders ahead of expected unveiling of criminal tax charges

[July 01, 2021]  NEW YORK (Reuters) -The chief financial officer of the Trump Organization surrendered to authorities on Thursday as he and former U.S. President Donald Trump's namesake company prepare to face criminal charges.

Allen Weisselberg, the CFO, entered a building housing Manhattan's criminal court, where he and a Trump Organization representative are expected to appear later in the day.

The charges would be the first to emerge from an ongoing investigation into Trump's real estate empire, which has been hovering over the former president since he left office in January. Trump denies wrongdoing and calls the investigations a "witch hunt" by politically-motivated prosecutors.

Trump himself is not expected to be charged this week, though prosecutors have said their investigation into his Trump Organization is continuing, his lawyer Ronald Fischetti has said.
 

The charges are expected to focus on whether Weisselberg and other executives received perks and benefits such as rent-free apartments and leased cars, without reporting them properly on their tax returns, people familiar with the probe have said.

Weisselberg and the company are expected to be arraigned on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter has said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Vance's office has also been working with investigators from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Fischetti said on Monday that prosecutors suggested the charges would be related to taxes and fringe benefits.

Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg looks on as then-U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri//File Photo

"This will be their first blow," Fischetti said.

Mary Mulligan, a lawyer for Weisselberg, has declined to comment on possible charges.

In a statement on Monday, Trump called prosecutors biased and said his company's actions were "in no way a crime".

Blowback from the case could complicate Trump's political future as he considers a possible 2024 White House run.

The Trump Organization could face fines and other penalties if convicted.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld, Jonathan Stempel, Jan Wolfe, Julia Harte, Tom Hals, Brendan Pierson and Joseph Tanfani; Editing by Peter Graff)

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