New York prosecutors will file charges against the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg on Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal. Former President Donald Trump will not be charged this week, but investigators continue to probe his business dealings and future indictments are still on the table.
The charges against the company and Weisselberg, a longtime Trump confidant who has thus far resisted turning on his boss, will be related to tax crimes. Weisselberg reportedly failed to pay taxes on perks like cars, apartments, and private school tuition for his grandchild.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the charges are inappropriate. The New York Times explains:
It would be highly unusual to indict a company just for failing to pay taxes on fringe benefits, said several lawyers who specialize in tax rules. None of them could cite any recent example, noting that many companies provide their employees with perks like company cars.
But prosecutors were undeterred by Trump’s legal team. Weisselberg is expected to appear in court on Thursday. It could be the opening salvo in a wider war against the Trump family.
“If prosecutors could show the Trump Organization and its executives systematically avoided paying taxes, they could file more serious charges alleging a scheme,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
More from The Journal:
The tax-related investigation is part of a broader criminal probe into whether the Trump Organization and its officers overvalued and undervalued its assets on loan, tax and insurance documents for financial gain. The criminal probe, led by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, and civil probe, by the New York attorney general, have looked at financial dealing around some of the same properties, including Mr. Trump’s Seven Springs estate, in Westchester, N.Y., and the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago.