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Jurors in the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial have seen the first evidence directly linking Donald Trump to the case, including key documents bearing the former president’s distinctive Sharpie-etched signatures and initials.
That early prosecution breakthrough came Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom where Trump’s real estate and golf empire — though not Trump himself — is on trial for allegedly helping its executives cheat on their income taxes.
Jurors were shown what the prosecution said and what a witness confirmed were Trump’s signatures on about half a dozen important letters and payroll documents. It is evidence intended to counter defense claims that the tax evasion scheme stopped one step below the top of the company, short of involving anyone named Trump.
The documents were introduced by the trial’s first witness, Jeffrey McConney, who as the Trump Organization’s auditor is responsible for its payroll and tax reporting.
McConney will derail the test Tuesday afternoon, testing positive for COVID-19 during the lunch break. His testimony – and the trial itself – is scheduled to resume Monday morning.
But during his breakfast on the stand Tuesday — and between coughing fits — McConney managed to do some damage to the defense by repeatedly saying “Donald Trump,” “Mr. Trump” and “President Trump” as he was asked to identify the signatures appear on courtroom screens.
“Whose signature is that?” Joshua Steinglass, one of the two lead prosecutors, asked McConney as jurors considered a general viewing of a May 1, 2005, letter.
“President Trump,” McConey said of the signature, identifying the now widely recognized mini mountain range in Sharpie ink at the bottom of the letter.
“And is it his full signature?”
“Yes,” McConey replied.
In the 17-year-old letter, Trump personally approved a $6,500-a-month lease for an apartment on Manhattan’s Hudson River waterfront. Trump’s letter said it was to be lived exclusively by his longtime chief financial officer.
“In other words, Donald J. Trump authorized Donald J. Trump to sign the lease” for the apartment, Steinglass asked about the contents of the letter. The cough tester answered “yes”.
“Who signed that lease?” about the apartment, Steinglass then asked, pointing to the lease itself on the screen.
“That’s President Trump’s signature,” McConey replied.
The former CFO who enjoyed that free company apartment — in what was once Trump Place on Riverside Avenue — is an even more important prosecution witness, Allen Weisselberg, who started with the company when it was run by Trump’s father in 1973.
Now a sabbatical but still salaried “special counsel” and defense attorney on Trump’s dime, Weiselberg admitted in August that he lived in the apartment for years as part of a non-tax book package by the Trump Organization executive. privileges.”
The whole affair is about these “perks” – fringe benefits ranging from luxury cars and apartments to free electronics, carpets and private school tuition for Weisselberg’s son and grandchildren.
Weisselberg admitted to his guilty plea that he earned more than $1.76 million in benefits during the 15-year life of the tax evasion scheme. Although the perks were part of his pay, he never paid income taxes on them, as required by law.
Weiselberg is now the go-to guy in defensive strategy. No one named Trump was involved in the tax evasion scheme, jurors said in defense opening statements Monday. Instead, the plan started and stopped with the CFO.
“Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg,” as Trump Organization lawyer Michael van der Veen repeatedly told jurors at the opening.
On Tuesday, the prosecution’s theory — which claims that in at least some cases Trump, and therefore the company, did it for Weiselberg — was bolstered by a scattering of paperwork in this already document-dense trial.
At one point Tuesday, jurors saw Trump’s black initials on two invoices from 2011. On one, from PC Richard & Son, Trump signed for $1,954.17 in electronics. On the other hand, she signed up for nearly $7,000 worth of rugs from ABC Carpet and Home.
Prosecutors say both the electronics and carpets were part of Weisselberg’s illegal tax-free perks package.
Eric Trump’s signature also appeared on a 2020 document presented to jurors on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said and witnesses confirmed the document was a record of Eric Trump signing off on that year’s pay for Weiselberg, including $640,000 plus a $500,000 bonus, and McConney, who was to earn $300,000 plus a $125,000 bonus. dollars.
Trump himself personally signed off on six years of private school tuition checks for Weiselberg’s grandchildren, prosecutors allege, outlining even more tax-free perks.
“You know Allen Weisselberg’s grandchildren went to private school” in Manhattan, Steinglass asked McConney on Tuesday.
“Yes,” replied the auditor.
When Steinglass asked him what the school was called, McConney replied “something like Columbia. I don’t remember.”
“Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School?” suggested the prosecutor.
“I believe so,” McConney replied.
“Did Donald Trump’s son go there too?” continued the prosecutor.
“I believe so,” answered McConney again.
“Who paid the tuition” for Weiselberg’s grandchildren, the prosecutor asked.
“Mr. Trump,” muttered the controller.
“Did you say Mr. Trump? asked the prosecutor.
“President Trump,” the controller replied.
“Did he sign those checks himself?” asked the prosecutor.
“I think so, yes,” replied the auditor.
“Who decided that Donald Trump would pay Allen Weiselberg’s tuition,” the prosecutor then asked.
Here was a strategic question. Could the defense pin this on Weisselberg doing it for Weisselberg? Who but Trump himself could decide to remove the cap from his index finger and sign his own checks?
“I have no idea,” the auditor replied, one of many cases that did not involve “the boss,” as he called the former president.
Those tuition checks signed by Trump, including one totaling $89,000 from 2015, have yet to be shown to jurors.
Now ill with COVID, McConney won’t return to the stand — and testing won’t resume and tuition checks will remain on a docket — until Monday morning at the earliest.
title: “Trump Sharpy Has Now Entered The Trump Organization Lawsuit " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Dawn Jones”
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Access your favorite topics in a personalized stream while on the go. download the app
Jurors in the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial have seen the first evidence directly linking Donald Trump to the case, including key documents bearing the former president’s distinctive Sharpie-etched signatures and initials.
That early prosecution breakthrough came Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom where Trump’s real estate and golf empire — though not Trump himself — is on trial for allegedly helping its executives cheat on their income taxes.
Jurors were shown what the prosecution said and what a witness confirmed were Trump’s signatures on about half a dozen important letters and payroll documents. It is evidence intended to counter defense claims that the tax evasion scheme stopped one step below the top of the company, short of involving anyone named Trump.
The documents were introduced by the trial’s first witness, Jeffrey McConney, who as the Trump Organization’s auditor is responsible for its payroll and tax reporting.
McConney will derail the test Tuesday afternoon, testing positive for COVID-19 during the lunch break. His testimony – and the trial itself – is scheduled to resume Monday morning.
But during his breakfast on the stand Tuesday — and between coughing fits — McConney managed to do some damage to the defense by repeatedly saying “Donald Trump,” “Mr. Trump” and “President Trump” as he was asked to identify the signatures appear on courtroom screens.
“Whose signature is that?” Joshua Steinglass, one of the two lead prosecutors, asked McConney as jurors considered a general viewing of a May 1, 2005, letter.
“President Trump,” McConey said of the signature, identifying the now widely recognized mini mountain range in Sharpie ink at the bottom of the letter.
“And is it his full signature?”
“Yes,” McConey replied.
In the 17-year-old letter, Trump personally approved a $6,500-a-month lease for an apartment on Manhattan’s Hudson River waterfront. Trump’s letter said it was to be lived exclusively by his longtime chief financial officer.
“In other words, Donald J. Trump authorized Donald J. Trump to sign the lease” for the apartment, Steinglass asked about the contents of the letter. The cough tester answered “yes”.
“Who signed that lease?” about the apartment, Steinglass then asked, pointing to the lease itself on the screen.
“That’s President Trump’s signature,” McConey replied.
The former CFO who enjoyed that free company apartment — in what was once Trump Place on Riverside Avenue — is an even more important prosecution witness, Allen Weisselberg, who started with the company when it was run by Trump’s father in 1973.
Now a sabbatical but still salaried “special counsel” and defense attorney on Trump’s dime, Weiselberg admitted in August that he lived in the apartment for years as part of a non-tax book package by the Trump Organization executive. privileges.”
The whole affair is about these “perks” – fringe benefits ranging from luxury cars and apartments to free electronics, carpets and private school tuition for Weisselberg’s son and grandchildren.
Weisselberg admitted to his guilty plea that he earned more than $1.76 million in benefits during the 15-year life of the tax evasion scheme. Although the perks were part of his pay, he never paid income taxes on them, as required by law.
Weiselberg is now the go-to guy in defensive strategy. No one named Trump was involved in the tax evasion scheme, jurors said in defense opening statements Monday. Instead, the plan started and stopped with the CFO.
“Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg,” as Trump Organization lawyer Michael van der Veen repeatedly told jurors at the opening.
On Tuesday, the prosecution’s theory — which claims that in at least some cases Trump, and therefore the company, did it for Weiselberg — was bolstered by a scattering of paperwork in this already document-dense trial.
At one point Tuesday, jurors saw Trump’s black initials on two invoices from 2011. On one, from PC Richard & Son, Trump signed for $1,954.17 in electronics. On the other hand, she signed up for nearly $7,000 worth of rugs from ABC Carpet and Home.
Prosecutors say both the electronics and carpets were part of Weisselberg’s illegal tax-free perks package.
Eric Trump’s signature also appeared on a 2020 document presented to jurors on Tuesday.
McConney testified that the document is a record of Eric Trump signing off on that year’s pay for Weisselberg, including $640,000 plus a $500,000 bonus, and for McConney, who was to earn $300,000 plus a $125,000 bonus.
Trump himself personally signed some of the six-year private school tuition checks for Weiselberg’s grandchildren, prosecutors allege, outlining even more tax-free perks.
“You know Allen Weisselberg’s grandchildren went to private school” in Manhattan, Steinglass asked McConney on Tuesday.
“Yes,” replied the auditor.
When Steinglass asked him what the school was called, McConney replied “something like Columbia. I don’t remember.”
“Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School?” suggested the prosecutor.
“I believe so,” McConney replied.
“Did Donald Trump’s son go there too?” continued the prosecutor.
“I believe so,” answered McConney again.
“Who paid the tuition” for Weiselberg’s grandchildren, the prosecutor asked.
“Mr. Trump,” muttered the controller.
“Did you say Mr. Trump? asked the prosecutor.
“President Trump,” the controller replied.
“Did he sign those checks himself?” asked the prosecutor.
“I think so, yes,” replied the auditor.
“Who decided that Donald Trump would pay Allen Weiselberg’s tuition,” the prosecutor then asked.
Here was a strategic question. Could the defense pin this on Weisselberg doing it for Weisselberg? Who but Trump himself could decide to remove the cap from his index finger and sign his own checks?
“I have no idea,” the auditor replied, one of many cases that did not involve “the boss,” as he called the former president.
Those tuition checks signed by Trump, including one totaling $89,000 from 2015, have yet to be shown to jurors.
Now ill with COVID, McConney won’t return to the stand — and testing won’t resume and tuition checks will remain on a docket — until Monday morning at the earliest.
