Former U.S. President Donald Trump's attorneys have a Monday deadline to provide arguments and evidence as to why his organization should not face criminal charges.
The Manhattan district attorney's office considered bringing criminal charges against Trump Organization and executive Allen Weisselberg last week. Trump Organization's attorneys have appealed to district attorney's office prosecutors to disregard the filing of criminal charges against the company.
Criminal Charges Against Trump's Organization
The Trump Organization has until Monday to present a case that would counter the charges and explain why the charges should not be filed. The Manhattan district attorney's office's investigation is related to the company's financial dealings. The organization is accused of inflating the value of some assets in an attempt to deceive lenders and insurers. Weisselberg's case appeared to be about tax issues.
The New York attorney general's office announced last month that the investigation, which was civil in nature in its early stages, was expanded to include criminal possibilities as well. A spokesperson for the office said they have notified the Trump Organization regarding the investigation not being civil in nature anymore, MSN reported.
The investigation is headed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Officials announced that no charges against the Trump organization have been filed as of the moment.
However, if the case progresses, Vance Jr. could file criminal charges against the organization as early as next week. The Manhattan attorney general's prosecutors have been working with lawyers from the New York State attorney general's office in handling the investigation.
If an indictment is made, it would be the first to come from the long-running investigation, which would force the former president into the frontlines to defend the company he founded. For decades, Trump has run the organization despite several accusations of criminal behavior.
Financial Compensation and Benefits
Much of the investigation in recent weeks has been focused on the perks that Weisellberg and other executives received from Trump. The perks allegedly include tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for one of Weisellberg's grandchildren, rents on apartments, and car leases.
Prosecutors are looking into whether or not the perks were properly logged into the company's ledgers. They are also investigating whether taxes for the benefits were paid accordingly.
On Thursday, Trump's lawyers met with senior prosecutors in the district attorney's office in an attempt to convince them not to file the criminal charges. However, the final decision of the prosecutors regarding the charges remains unclear, the New York Times reported.
Weisselberg is accused of not paying taxes on the benefits he received and has previously refused to coordinate with prosecutors regarding the investigation, Yahoo News reported.
Ronald P. Fischetti, one of Trump's personal lawyers, said that in his 50 years of practicing his work, he has never observed a district attorney target a company for providing financial compensation to its employees for criminal charges. He called the case 'ridiculous and outrageous."
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