The chief financial officer of the Trump Organization surrendered to authorities on Thursday (1), as he and the company that bears Donald Trump’s name prepare to face the first criminal charges in an investigation against the former president For years.
Allen Weisselberg, a former Trump right-hand man in the company that helped run Trump’s real estate empire during his presidency, and the Trump Organization were formally indicted on Thursday.
Here are some of the investigations and legal proceedings involving the former US president:
Criminal charges against the Trump organization in New York
This farm’s indictment focuses on whether Weisselberg and other administrators received perks and perks, such as rent-free apartments and rental cars, without properly stating them on the income tax.
Legal documents and records included in the investigation show that Weisselberg, a confidant of the Trump family, and his son Barry received corporate gifts and gifts worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. dollars during their years of membership in the Trump Organization.
The indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. could put the company at risk by discouraging creditors and investors from doing business with it. The company will likely be fined and face further penalties if found guilty.
The prosecutor could still indict Trump, especially if Weisselberg cooperates and testifies against the businessman-turned-Republican politician. Trump said the investigation was politically motivated.
New York Attorney General’s Civil Inquiry
New York State Attorney General Letitia James is examining whether the Trump Organization has inflated the value of some properties to get better loans and lowered their value to get tax breaks.
Court records show James is investigating how the company and its agents assessed the value of Seven Springs, an 85-acre property in upper Manhattan that Trump bought in 1995.
Trump’s company said the century-old mansion on the land, measuring 4,600 square meters, was used as a vacation home by the Trump family, but the property has become a vehicle for tax refunds.
Investigation into electoral interference in Georgia
Top Georgia County prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Trump’s attempts to influence the results of the state’s November 2020 presidential election, won by Democrat Joe Biden.
The investigation is being led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and focuses in part on a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, on January 2.
Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” the votes necessary to reverse his electoral defeat, according to an audio recording obtained by the Washington Post.
Legal experts say Trump’s phone calls may have violated at least three Georgian election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, and intentional interference in the exercise of election functions.
Trump, however, could argue that he practiced free speech and had no intention of influencing the election.
E. Jean Carroll defamation case
E. Jean Carroll, former editor of Elle magazine, sued Trump for defamation in 2019 after the president denied his allegation that he raped her in the 1990s at a New York department store and left him accused of lying to increase sales of a book.
In August 2020, a state judge cleared the case and Carroll’s lawyers were able to request a DNA sample from Trump to compare it to a dress she wore at the store.
The US Department of Justice, under the new Biden administration, made a surprising decision in June by continuing to defend Trump in this case, saying it wanted to protect the presidency, not Trump personally.
Attack on the Capitol on January 6
Trump has been named in a lawsuit over the invasion of the United States Capitol by his supporters in an attempt to thwart Congressional confirmation of Biden’s election to the White House.
Trump has denied responsibility for the riots in Washington, where he called on his supporters to march against the Capitol.
Two Democratic lawmakers, Eric Swalwell of California and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, separately sued Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, for conspiracy to incite rebellion.
Two Capitol Hill officers sued Trump for physical and emotional damage sustained in the attack and accused him of encouraging his supporters to prevent confirmation of Biden’s election victory.