The company of former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of tax fraud, to avoid taxation for fringe benefits for several directors in the company. Apartments and luxury cars were among the benefits that the bosses wanted to avoid paying taxes on. The company, which operates hotels, golf courses and real estate around the world, pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment brought by the Manhattan attorney general. Investigated for three years Trump’s property dealings have been investigated for a long time. For more than three years, this has been going on to find out whether his company, the Trump Organization, has misled banks and tax authorities by giving them misleading accounts. The Supreme Court of the United States has refused the former president to withhold his tax returns for the prosecutor’s office in New York. On the day of the hearing in August, Trump refused to speak. The trial lasted a month, and seven witnesses gave evidence in the case. The case has largely overshadowed Trump’s message that he is standing as presidential candidate in 2024, writes The Guardian. BOT: Donald Trump is here on his way out of Trump Tower during the hearing day in August. The company can be fined just over NOK 15 million. Photo: Julia Nikhinson / AP Can be fined NOK 15 million It took two days of discussions to decide the question of guilt in court. The result is a recognition for prosecutors, who have spent three years investigating the Trump Organization. – This was a case of greed and cheating, lawyer Alvin Bragg said in court. CNN’s analyst Elie Honig says the matter is serious. – This is obviously a setback for the Trump company. They have now been found guilty of criminal conduct, criminal tax evasion. The company can receive up to 1.6 million dollars – around 15.7 million kroner – in fines. It may cause problems for future agreements, but is still a relatively small amount in view of the company’s size. Trump himself has claimed that the trial is part of a politically motivated witch hunt. He and his family were not parties to the tax fraud case, but were mentioned several times by the prosecution during the trial. “This whole narrative that Donald Trump is blissfully ignorant is just not true,” said prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. Lawyers for Trump’s company say they will appeal the case. Investigation of Trump still ongoing Although the company has been found guilty, Donald Trump’s legal battle with the state of New York is not over. Attorney General Alvin Bragg — a Democrat who took the job in January — says a parallel investigation into Trump himself, begun by Bragg’s predecessor Cyrus Vance Jr., is still ongoing. In that case, the investigators are investigating, among other things, whether Trump has misled banks and others about the property values he controlled. A new investigative leader has been brought into the case, writes NTB.
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Trump company found guilty of tax fraud – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
