Donald Trump says it’s hard to be a ‘Trump’ in New York City in reaction to his organization’s tax fraud conviction

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Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at Mar-a-lago on November 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. Andrew Harnik/AP

The Trump Organization has been found criminally liable for tax fraud committed by two company executives.

Donald Trump denounced the jury’s outcome and said his corporation was not involved in the scheme.

The former president said he plans to appeal the results.

Donald Trump lamented that it’s hard to be a “Trump” in New York City after a Manhattan jury found the former president’s real-estate empire liable for tax fraud on Tuesday.

“New York City is a tough place to be ‘Trump,’ as businesses and people flee our once Great City,” the former President said in a statement.

The Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud on Tuesday after a Manhattan jury deliberated for a total of 10 hours, capping a nearly six-week trial. The company now faces up to $1.6 million in penalties in its Jan. 13 judgment.

In a statement, Trump said he was disappointed by the verdict and plans to appeal the decision. The former president also issued a separate response on social media that appeared to be reacting to the verdict on Truth Social on Tuesday night.

“THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME CONTINUES, OVER AND OVER, AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY WILL NEVER LAST. A GIANT POLITICAL SCAM!!!” he wrote.

Two top executives at the organization are at the center of the conviction: ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg and payroll executive Jeffrey McConney.

In August, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud and other financial crimes and admitted conspiring with his colleague McConney.

Both men however denied that the organization stood to benefit from their misconduct. The onus was placed on the Manhattan District Attorney’s prosecution team to prove that others throughout the company had obtained through tax fraud schemes.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that Trump or his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., signed away luxury apartments, Mercedes-Benzes, private school tuition, and other “perks” with no tax that is not included in the company’s W -2 tax form.

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Trump and his children have not been charged in the case.

In his statement, Trump pinned the tax-fraud scheme on Weisselberg and denied that he or anyone in his family knew about the scheme. He added that his organization did not benefit financially from Weisselberg’s actions.

“Why would Corporations, who knew nothing about Weisselberg’s personal tax returns, be prosecuted for that person’s conduct? We had RELIANCE on a then highly respected and expensive accounting firm, and law firm, to do this work,” Trump claimed.

Although Trump himself has not been tried, the conviction could have implications for the former president.

The Trump Organization could be blacklisted from pursuing any federal contracts, for example, which include the continued use of Secret Service agents who remain at Trump properties. The House Oversight Committee found that the organization billed the Secret Service more than $1.4 million to stay at properties during Trump’s presidency.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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