'Donald Trump knew exactly what was going on' in Trump Org. tax fraud, Manhattan prosecutor says in summations

A Manhattan prosecutor told jurors that Donald Trump was aware of what was happening with his top executives.

The prosecutor's bombshell assertion, yet to be elaborated on, directly opposed defense claims that Trump was in the dark about a personal tax- dodge scheme enjoyed for more than a decade by top executives working just down the hall from his desk on the 26th floor of Trump Tower

After jurors left the courtroom for the day, defense lawyers objected to the "Trump was in on it" statement made in the closing arguments.

Alan Futerfas objected to Steinglass violating an agreement not to speculate about what Trump knew.

Steinglass argued that Donald Trump didn't know about the scheme.

The trial judge agreed with Steinglass that his defense was the one that invoked the name.

The judge told the defense team that it was only fair for them to do that as well.

Two subsidiaries of Trump's real-estate and golf-resort empire, the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation, are on trial in New York state Supreme Court.

According to prosecutors, the company must be held responsible for a 13-year tax dodge scheme masterminded by Trump's finance chief.

Weisselberg and other second-tier executives were able to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary in the form of tax-free perks.

Both Weisselberg and Trump's top payroll executive told jurors that the perks were recorded in internal corporate records. The perks were never claimed on the company's tax statements.

For the two Trump Organization subsidiaries to be criminally liable for their executives' actions, prosecutors need to show that Weisselberg and/or McConney lined their own pockets and left it at that.

Under New York's corporate liability law, prosecutors need to prove that the executives acted in behalf of the company, meaning they intended that the company would benefit from the scheme.

Defense lawyers reminded jurors that Weisselberg and McConney denied on the witness stand that they intended to benefit the company in their closing arguments. Two of the top money men testified that they were only in it for their own benefit.

Steinglass will have to convince jurors of a circumstantial case for intent when he finishes his summing up on Friday.

After just the first hour of Steinglass's promised five hours of closing arguments, jurors were left with little else.

The defense narrative that Weisselberg feels shame over keeping the Trump family in the dark about his tax fraud scheme was ridiculed by Steinglass. Weisselberg told of betraying the Trump family on the witness stand in November.

Steinglass said that despite this betrayal, Trump is continuing to pay Weisselberg $1.1 million this year, even as they've placed him on leave.

Weisselberg's salary has nothing to do with how helpful the ex-CFO's testimony has been, according to the defense.

A defense lawyer told jurors six weeks ago that Trump is paying Weisselberg a seven-figure salary because the ex-CFO is a family member.

The first problem of the "prodigal son" narrative is that he did not steal from the company. The man stole with the company. The Trump Organization is not the victims. The prosecutors said that the tax authorities were the victims.

Steinglass said that the scheme to defraud was not a betrayal of the Trump corporation. It was done with the help of the Trump Corporation.

The jury may start deliberations on Friday afternoon. If the Trump Organization subsidiaries are found guilty of conspiracy, scheme to defraud, and tax fraud, they will face a maximum $1.6 million in fines.