Source: Zero Hedge
After the (still-sealed) indictment was handed down by Manhattan prosecutor Cyrus Vance Jr. last night, long-serving Trump Organizatoin CFO Allen Weisselberg surrendered to the district attorney’s office on Thursday morning.
While no photos of Weisselberg surrendering were released to the press, it’s likely the public will get its first look at the senior Trump Organization executive when Weisselberg and the Trump Organization (which has also been criminally charged as a corporation and will be represented in court by a company lawyer) are arraigned by a state judge Thursday afternoon.
The tax-related charges brought against Weisselberg haven’t yet been made public, and will be revealed later on Thursday. The 73-year-old Weisselberg will be arraigned alongside the Trump Organization.
Accordng to the NYT, Weisselberg, accompanied by his lawyer, Mary Mulligan, walked into the Lower Manhattan building that houses the criminal courts and the district attorney’s office at about 0620ET Thursday morning. As the NYT pointed out, President Trump once praised Weisselberg for “doing whatever was necessary to protect the bottom line.”
Prosecutors from Vance’s office and from the NY State Attorney General Letitia James’ office are still reportedly looking into whether the Trump Organization neglected to pay payroll taxes on taxable income.
Trump himself hasn’t been charged and isn’t expected to be, though it’s still possible that investigators might come up with something to charge him with.
According to Reuters’ sources, the charges Weisselberg is facing are believed to be related to Weisselberg’s acceptance of perks like rent-free apartments and leased cars, without reporting them properly on his tax returns.
Trump Org lawyer Ronald Fischetti hinted that there might be more charges to come. Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing, and Cyrus Vance’s successor, to be elected in this fall’s NYC municipal elections, is expected to take over from Vance once he leaves office (he decided not to run again after his personal links to Harvey Weinstein cast doubt about a prosecution that he scuppered years ago).
The NYT, Reuters and other MSM organizations insisted that the investigation “could complicate Trump’s political future” should he pursue a 2024 run.
Weisselberg’s indictment and arrest followed months of intense pressure from prosecutors to “flip” on President Trump. From the looks of it, Weisselberg has so far refused to cooperate against the president and his former boss, even after prosecutors questioned his family members, including his ex-daughter in law.
