A New York State court decided on Friday that the Trump Organization and its former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, may be prosecuted for criminal fraud and tax evasion.
In February, Weisselberg and the business requested that the judge throw out all 15 counts against them.
One of the several tax fraud charges brought against the Trump Organization was dropped by Judge Juan Merchan, while all others were upheld.
Prosecutors, according to the Trump Organization and Weisselberg, targeted them “based on political animus” against former President Donald Trump.
Weisselberg also claimed that by testifying before a federal grand jury looking into former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, he had been granted immunity from certain criminal charges.
The 24th of October will see the jury selection.
The Weisselberg probe was sparked, according to prosecutors, by a Bloomberg report published on November 2, 2020 regarding benefits Weisselberg allegedly got.
Manhattan district attorney Solomon Shinerock said in May that “the article articulated many of the critical facts pertinent to the offences accused.”
In July 2021, the Trump Organization was charged with paying executives expensive, untaxed benefits that the prosecution referred to as “indirect employee compensation.” Weisselberg, who had worked for the corporation with Trump for years, was charged with getting $1.7 million in benefits, including an apartment and a vehicle.
Both Weisselberg and the business have pleaded not guilty.
They said that the corporation and Weisselberg were “improperly targeted” because of politics in their move to dismiss the allegations from January.
They emphasised remarks made by Letitia James, the Democratic attorney general of New York, who has criticised Republican Donald Trump.
The Manhattan district attorney’s probe is being handled by two lawyers from James’ office.
In a court-ordered deposition for James’ lawsuit on Wednesday, Trump went through over four hours of questioning while repeatedly claiming the Fifth Amendment and responding, “same response.”
Trump’s lawyers had already expressed their fear that the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would have access to Trump’s deposition. James’ office attorneys and the judge supervising her investigation have stated that her detectives are permitted to do that.
Weisselberg gained immunity from several federal charges when he testified to a federal grand jury looking into former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, according to a letter from Weisselberg’s attorneys in January. Therefore, the accusations against him should be dropped.
Shinerock said that nobody on his staff “had ever seen or been briefed on the specifics of Weisselberg’s testimony” against Cohen, but insisted that the state charges brought against Weisselberg do not fall under the federal immunity.