Trump Organization ready to call ex-CFO a liar as tax fraud trial begins - Reuters

NEW YORK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Jury enactment began connected Monday successful the tax fraud trial of erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump's company, with the Trump Organization acceptable to impeach its longtime main fiscal serviceman of lying successful a lawsuit successful which the concern is accused of awarding "off the books" benefits to immoderate elder executives.

The transgression proceedings successful a New York authorities tribunal is 1 of a mounting fig of ineligible woes for Trump arsenic helium considers different tally for the presidency successful 2024. The Manhattan territory attorney's bureau past twelvemonth charged Trump's namesake existent property institution and Allen Weisselberg, its then-chief fiscal officer.

Weisselberg pleaded guilty successful August to helping the institution defraud taxation authorities for 15 years successful an agreement with prosecutors that requires him to attest astatine this trial. The charges to which Weisselberg pleaded blameworthy included expansive larceny and taxation fraud, and helium admitted concealing $1.76 cardinal successful income.

Weisselberg, considered the prosecution's prima witness, is acceptable to attest on with the company's controller, Jeffrey McConney.

Susan Necheles, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said successful a virtual proceeding past week that challenging Weisselberg's admittance that helium hid accusation from the accountants would beryllium portion of the company's defense, according to a transcript of the proceeding held privately that was aboriginal unsealed.

"Weisselberg volition attest helium believed everything helium was doing was wrong," Necheles said during the video conference. "We deliberation he's lying and we privation to amusement that."

Necheles said Weisselberg and McConney relied connected extracurricular accountants "who led them to judge that definite things were done correctly."

The process of choosing a assemblage started, with Justice Juan Merchan presiding implicit the proceedings successful Manhattan that helium said would past six weeks. The justice told much than 100 prospective jurors astir the charges, the information that the defendants person pleaded not blameworthy and that impervious of guilt beyond a tenable uncertainty would beryllium required for conviction.

The justice besides asked for immoderate imaginable jurors to accidental if they bash not consciousness they could service successful the trial.

Lawyers from some sides person the accidental to question prospective jurors, who whitethorn beryllium asked astir their idiosyncratic views connected Trump, a Republican businessman-turned-politician who archetypal achieved fame decades agone successful the most-populous U.S. city, and whether they tin determine the lawsuit impartially. The metropolis is heavy Democratic.

One imaginable juror, a 34-year-old woman, said she was excused from serving successful the proceedings for job-related reasons but told reporters extracurricular the courtroom that she could not person been impartial.

"He's blameworthy successful my mind, immoderate the lawsuit is," she said of Trump. "Anything helium does, his corp does."

TRUMP NOT CHARGED

The Trump Organization, which operates hotels, play courses and different existent property astir the world, could look up to $1.6 cardinal successful fines for the 3 taxation fraud counts and six different counts it faces. The institution has pleaded not guilty. Trump is not charged successful the case.

Weisselberg has refused to cooperate with prosecutors successful their investigation, agreeing lone to attest arsenic required by his plea agreement. Weisselberg is gathering with some sides to guarantee that his grounds goes smoothly, giving each the accidental to larn what they whitethorn elicit "that is adjuvant to their respective positions," his lawyer Nicholas Gravante said.

In his blameworthy plea, Weisselberg admitted to scheming with the institution truthful that "substantial portions" of his and different employees' income was unreported oregon misreported.

Weisselberg's plea statement stated that helium evaded paying taxes connected unreported income from the Trump Organization successful the signifier of benefits including rent payments for a Manhattan apartment, aggregate Mercedes Benz automobiles, backstage schoolhouse tuition for his grandchildren and currency and furnishings for his flat and location successful Florida. Weisselberg said the strategy besides included improper payments to definite employees arsenic non-employee compensation.

Weisselberg has worked for the Trump Organization for astir fractional a century. He went from being CFO to a elder advisor erstwhile helium and the institution were indicted past year. After his blameworthy plea, helium was placed connected a paid permission of absence, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the matter. The Trump Organization aft his blameworthy plea called Weisselberg a "fine and honorable man."

Weisselberg was promised a condemnation of 5 months successful jailhouse if helium testifies truthfully successful the trial, and helium could beryllium freed aft 100 days. He besides agreed to wage astir $2 cardinal successful taxes, penalties and involvement to metropolis and authorities taxation authorities.

The transgression lawsuit is abstracted from a $250 cardinal civilian suit filed by the New York lawyer wide against Trump, 3 of his big children and his institution successful September, accusing them of overstating plus values and his nett worthy to get favorable slope loans and security coverage.

Trump's other ineligible troubles see a national transgression probe into the removal of government documents from the White House erstwhile helium near bureau past year.

Reporting by Karen Freifeld successful New York; Additional reporting by Luc Cohen. Editing by Will Dunham and Noeleen Walder

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