Tax fraud indictment against Trump Organization and its CFO Allen Weisselberg, personally named Donald Trump.
His lawyer Ronald Fischetti said to Insider that he doubts the Manhattan DA will indict the ex-president.
He stated that Trump's tax savings from the alleged fraud scheme amount to "fucking pennies."
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Donald Trump's attorney said that he doesn't worry about the fact that Trump is named in the indictment against the company he founded. He told Insider that he was confident Trump will not be charged as a result of the long-running investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney.
In charging documents that were not sealed on July 1, Trump was named by the prosecution. They claimed that he wrote checks to family members of Allen Weisselberg (CFO of Trump Organization), who they also accuse of tax crimes.
According to the indictment, "Trump Corporation personnel including Weisselberg arranged tuition expenses for Weisselberg’s family members by personal checks drawn on and signed by Donald J. Trump and then drawn on the account and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust."
Ronald Fischetti, Trump's lawyer, said to Insider that the mention did not have any bearing on the former president’s legal exposure in the DA’s investigation. He stated that Trump paid tuition bills directly, not through corporate accounts and made "no deductions".
Fischetti stated that all that money that was used to pay for the tuition of [Weisselberg]'s grandson to the same school Donald Trump's son Barron attends was paid by Donald Trump, and never from the company. "No check was ever sent from the company to cover that tuition."
Fischetti stated that Trump paid the tuition because Barry Weisselberg, his son, was going through a bitter split with Jennifer Weisselberg. Fischetti stated that Trump wanted to ensure the grandchildren of "trusted employees" could continue attending their school.
Fischetti stated that Donald Trump paid for it himself out of his generosity. "No deductions, nothing."
Next year, the Trump Organization will be tried
Weisselberg and the attorneys for Trump Organization pleaded guilty to a 15 count indictment. The prosecutors detailed a broad-ranging tax scheme in which Weisselberg avoided taxes on $1.7million of his income. They claimed that a lot of it came in the form perks such as apartments, tuition payments, and cars.
Prosecutors claimed that more than $359,000 of this untaxed compensation was in the form tuition payments between 2012 and 2017. Prosecutors claimed that tuition payments were classified as compensation in the Trump Organization's internal records but not on Weisselberg’s personal tax forms.
Allen Weisselberg, Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization, appears at State Supreme Court in Manhattan Monday September 20, 2021. Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times via AP
Fischetti stated that Trump paid the tuition out of his pocket and not from corporate coffers. This indicated that the former president had already paid all appropriate taxes.
Fischetti stated that it is not taxable for the person who gave it to them. "And it's no deduction for the person giving it to you."
Weisselberg's grandchildren attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School on Manhattan's Upper West Side. This school was subpoenaed by the DA.
Jennifer Weisselberg, a cooperating witness since last fall has provided dozens of documents to the prosecutors. In an interview with Insider earlier this year, she stated that Trump Organization employees sometimes received perks such as apartments or tuition payments in exchange for monetary bonuses to help them control their lives.
Juan Merchan, New York State Supreme Court Judge, stated Monday that attorneys for Weisselberg as well as the Trump Organization had until January 20,22 to review the 6 million pages of case documents and submit pre-trial motions. Merchan informed the attorneys that a trial would begin in August or Sept 2022.
Fischetti stated that Trump's tax savings from the alleged fraud scheme would amount 'fucking pennies.
Bryan Skarlatos (an attorney representing Weisselberg) said Monday in court that he expected more indictments from grand jury investigations.
Insider was told by Fischetti that he does not expect Trump to be indicted. Fischetti said that the tax savings described by prosecutors would be "fucking pennies for the former president."
"This guy is a billionaire. How is he going to make it out of this? He said it, adding that "it's fucking pennies!" It's absurd. They don't have anything on the president. Absolute nothing.
Fischetti stated that he met with the prosecutors in June and that they have not presented any evidence that Trump knew or was involved in the tax scheme.
Fischetti stated that they have not spoken about the president knowing this. They have no tape recordings, no email, and no text. They don't have any documents. They don't have any documents."
After leaving a New York courtroom appearance, Allen Weisselberg (chief financial officer of the Trump Organization) waits for a car. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
The attorneys of white-collar crime suspects are usually met by the prosecutor shortly before they indict them. Fischetti stated that he has not heard anything from the district attorney's office since that summer meeting. Mark Pomerantz Fischetti was assured by a former law partner and a prominent member of the Manhattan DA team that he would give him a chance for defense before bringing any charges.
Fischetti reported that attorneys for other witnesses who have testified before the grand jury said nothing about Trump's personal involvement. Fischetti stated that the only way for prosecutors to possibly indict Trump was to "coerce” people to confess to Trump's orders.
Insider reported that the only thing they could have were witnesses who would enter the grand jury and tell the grand jury, "Yes, I got free car and I got an apartment. He either deducted it from me or gave it to us as a bonus. He needs witnesses! He has none Zero!"
The Manhattan DA's Office declined to comment on this story.
Prosecutors were also said to be investigating whether Trump Organization violated tax laws by keeping two books to ensure favorable loan, tax, and insurance rates. They also investigated whether Trump Organization violated campaign finance laws by making hush-money payments for Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Fischetti stated that he has not heard any information about the charges in relation to these inquiries.
