Live Updates: Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg surrenders ahead of expected charges
get the free appAllen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, surrendered to authorities in Manhattan early Thursday morning to face expected tax-related charges, the first stemming from the Manhattan district attorney's years-long probe into former President Donald Trump's namesake company.
A grand jury handed down an indictment against the company itself Wednesday evening, sources told CBS News. Weisselberg has come under increasing scrutiny by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the New York Attorney General's Office in recent months, given his intimate knowledge of the Trump Organization's business dealings.
The charges, which remain under seal, were expected to relate to alleged failure to pay taxes on corporate perks for Trump Organization employees, like company cars and apartments. Mr. Trump himself was not expected to be charged, his attorney told CBS News earlier in the week.
The Manhattan district attorney and the New York attorney general have ramped up their probe into the former president's business over the past several months. The DA obtained years of Mr. Trump's tax records in February after a lengthy legal battle that reached the Supreme Court.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized the investigation, claiming prosecutors are "politically motivated" and have been unfairly targeting him since he announced his candidacy for president in 2015.
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization said Thursday morning that Weisselberg was "being used by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president."
The charges do not preclude additional indictments stemming from the probe.
Trump Organization on expected prosecution: "This is politics"
A spokesperson for the Trump Organization defended Weisselberg in a statement after he surrendered to authorities, calling him a "loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather" whose tenure with the company has spanned more than four decades.
"He is now being used by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president," the spokesperson said. "The district attorney is bringing a criminal prosecution involving employee benefits that neither the IRS nor any other district attorney would ever think of bringing. This is not justice; this is politics."
Weisselberg surrenders to authorities
Allen Weisselberg, the longtime Trump Organization executive, surrendered to authorities in lower Manhattan around 6:15 a.m.
Weisselberg was seen on camera walking into the building that houses the Manhattan Criminal Court and district attorney's office. His lawyer and a spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office did not immediately return requests for comment.
A grand jury returned an indictment against the Trump Organization on Wednesday for tax-related crimes, CBS News reported. Weisselberg, too, is expected to face charges from Manhattan prosecutors.
The charges are expected to be unsealed later Thursday, and Weisselberg is expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.
Trump Organization indicted on tax-related charges
The Trump Organization was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan for alleged tax-related crimes on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The charges remained under seal as of Thursday morning. Attorneys for the Trump Organization are expected to appear in court for arraignment on the charges.
Ronald Fischetti, a lawyer representing Mr. Trump, told CBS News on Tuesday that he did not foresee charges against the former president himself. During a virtual meeting with prosecutors last week, Fischetti said he asked Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for details on the charges that were under consideration.
"I asked specifically, 'Are any of these charges related to Donald Trump?' And the answer was no," Fischetti told CBS News on Tuesday.