Trump at a campaign rally. Source: Gage Skidmore
A jury of twelve in New York has finalised their decision and found the Trump Organization guilty of criminal tax fraud.
The Trump Organization which holds multiple real estate portfolios around the world, including golf courses and hotels, is expected to be fined $1.6 million in USD.
The case was built around charges that claimed top executives in the organistaion had personal expensive paid on their behalf by the company, without the proper reporting.
The Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg says, “This was a case about greed and cheating,” and that “in Manhattan, no corporation is above the law.”
“The Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities to avoid paying taxes,” he said.
“Today’s verdict holds these Trump companies accountable for their long-running criminal scheme.”
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization disagreed with this in a statement by saying “The notion that a company could be held responsible for an employee’s actions, to benefit themselves, on their own personal tax returns is simply preposterous.”
However, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury in his closing statement of the trail that “the smorgasbord of benefits is designed to keep its top executives happy and loyal.”
Some media and political commentators are still speculating on the involvement of former President Donald Trump in relation to this matter, considering that he is the sole principal owner of the organisation.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says that “This whole narrative that Donald Trump is blissfully ignorant is just not true.”
The 45th President of the United States Donald Trump says that his family received “no economic gain from the acts done by the executive.”
This isn’t the second time this week that Trump related controversy has made the news. To stay in the loop you can read about Trump’s controversial calls for “Termination” of US Constitution.
