Court Battles

Trump exec at center of NY tax probe could face charges this summer: report

Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, could face charges as soon as this summer, as the Manhattan district attorney’s office signals it’s entering the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into the executive, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

People with knowledge of the matter told the Times that a grand jury has been hearing evidence against Weisselberg, a longtime confidant of former President Trump. Prosecutors have reportedly obtained Weisselberg’s official tax returns.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.’s office has been trying to use the tax investigation to pressure Weisselberg into cooperating with its broader investigation into Trump, but for now, he appears to have rebuffed its efforts, the Times reported.

The Times noted that Jeffrey McConney, a senior vice president and controller of the Trump Organization, has testified before the grand jury, the first sign that the grand jury was hearing evidence about Weisselberg.

However, it’s still unclear whether prosecutors will seek to indict Weisselberg, which would make him the first person to be criminally charged in the financial fraud investigation into the Trump Organization.

Weisselberg’s lawyer Mary Mulligan declined to comment to the Times.

Vance’s office declined to comment to The Hill.

Weisselberg has served as chief financial officer of the Trump Organization for about 40 years and could be a key source of information for investigators.

Vance’s office is looking into his role in the Trump Organization, his personal finances and benefits given to his son Barry Weisselberg, a longtime employee of the Trump Organization.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has also been probing Allen Weisselberg’s taxes in an overlapping investigation.

Their offices are working together in a broader investigation into whether the Trump Organization inflated the value of its properties to lenders and insurers and if it paid the appropriate amount of taxes.

Trump for his part has denied wrongdoing and sought to paint the investigations as politically motivated.