Home Lead Story Trump Criminal Investigation: Major Things To Know

Trump Criminal Investigation: Major Things To Know

The former president is a private citizen, and much of the activity being investigated took place before he took office, meaning that his service as chief executive is no shield

The possibility that the former, his business associates, or his company could face criminal charges began to seem more real this week when The Washington Post broke the news that a special grand jury had been empaneled in New York City to hear evidence from prosecutors investigating Trump’s business dealings. The grand jury is expected to serve a six-month term, far longer than the one-month tenure of most grand juries. It will hear evidence gathered in an investigation that has been going on for two years and involved two Supreme Court decisions giving the office of the Manhattan district attorney access to the former president’s tax returns.

The length of the grand jury’s term indicates that prosecutors are preparing to present a complex and lengthy case, said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School who formerly served as a prosecutor in Manhattan. This is the beginning of a process, Roiphe said, that typically leads to criminal prosecution. “It’s unlikely that we won’t see an indictment when this is over,” she said. State-level data are difficult to obtain, but a Washington Post analysis of federal grand juries in 2014 found that they return indictments in 99.99% of cases.

Follow NewsGram on LinkedIn to know what’s happening around the world.

 

What is a grand jury?

In the U.S. federal justice system as well as in many states, including New York, a criminal charge is brought after a grand jury determines that there is “probable cause” to believe that an individual or entity has committed a criminal offense. A grand jury proceeding is not like a trial; nobody represents the person suspected of a crime. The standard joke about grand juries in the U.S. is that the evidentiary standard is so low that a competent prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.

Trump
The grand jury is expected to serve a six-month term, far longer than the one-month tenure of most grand juries. Pixabay

But according to Roiphe, it is important to note that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office has made a point of not taking borderline cases to prosecution. “They won’t go to a grand jury with just the bare minimum to get an indictment,” she said. Additionally, she noted, New York’s grand jury rules are stricter than federal rules when it comes to evidence, making hearsay testimony inadmissible.

Who is investigating Trump?

Vance, the son of former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, had been looking into Trump’s business practices for two years or more. Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, announced that a separate investigation, originally civil in nature, had been turned into a criminal inquiry and that her office would be sharing resources with Vance, essentially joining the two investigations.

The combined prosecutorial might of Vance’s and James’ offices is being supplemented by outside assistance. Vance took the unusual step of hiring Mark Pomerantz, a white-collar criminal defense attorney who formerly served as the head of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he led multiple high-profile organized crime investigations.

What do we know about the investigation?

The details of the investigation are not public and Trump has battled to discredit it. “We’ve known for some time that the district attorney’s office in Manhattan has been investigating him for a host of possible criminal violations, including tax fraud, insurance fraud, falsification of records and the like,” said attorney Danya Perry, who previously served as deputy attorney general in the state of New York and as a federal prosecutor.

Trump’s son Eric Trump has been subpoenaed to testify, and there are reports that investigators are looking into payments the Trump Organization made to his daughter Ivanka Trump that were written off as consulting fees.

Who is Allen Weisselberg?

Prosecutors seem to be particularly interested in Allen Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. Among other things, prosecutors are believed to be examining whether Weisselberg received compensation from Trump that wasn’t reported to the Internal Revenue Service.

ALSO READ: Trump Launches New Networking Site After Twitter, Facebook Ban

There is widespread speculation that the focus on Weisselberg is an effort to pressure him into a deal with prosecutors that would secure his testimony against the former president. Weisselberg, who worked for Trump’s father, Fred Trump, before Donald Trump took over the company, has been the CFO since 2000.

Could Trump go to jail?

The former president is a private citizen, and much of the activity being investigated took place before he took office, meaning that his service as chief executive is no shield. (VOA/JC)

( Donald Trump cases, Trump investigation, Who is Allen Weisselberg, Trump criminal inquiry)

STAY CONNECTED

19,500FansLike
362FollowersFollow
1,773FollowersFollow

Most Popular

Trump Criminal Investigation: Major Things To Know

The possibility that the former, his business associates, or his company could face criminal charges began to seem more real this week when The...

Should Women Be The New Default Voting Group In US?

Many were surprised when white women voted for Donald Trump in 2016, but they shouldn’t have been. Even though women overall tend to vote...

Strong Regulations On Junk Food Labels Required To Curb Obesity In Children

Strong regulations to cap salt, sugar, and other harmful ingredients and simple to understand front of package labeling (FOPL) on junk food packets can...

Novel Coronavirus And Climate Change Are Linked, Says Climate Experts

The world is struggling with two global dangers, the novel coronavirus, and climate change. However, these two pressing problems are interlinked, says a climate...

Towards a New Dawn: Journey of Indian Women’s Cricket Team

Women have been playing cricket since 1745. Unfortunately, the gentlemen of the game never gave women's cricket prominence and importance, and so it remained...

Indian-Origin Metro Train Driver Saves Asian Man in an Apparent Hate Crime

A quick-thinking Indian-origin metro train driver saved an Asian man who was shoved onto the tracks in an apparent hate crime, according to media...

Follow This Six-Point Mantra To Achieve a “Glass-Skin”

There are three degrees of flawless skin, leading aesthetic dermatologist Anupriya Goel was told by her hosts during a visit to South Korea, one...

How are Obesity and Bile Duct Stones Linked? Explained!

Obesity tripled in the last four decades, and was called a "global pandemic in its own right" by United Nations in 2020. Obese people...

Recent Comments