The only criminal trial to arise out of the years-long probe into former president Donald Trump’s eponymous real estate and licensing company kicked off on Monday with opening statements from prosecutors who said the case was not about the ex-president.
Last year, a New York grand jury indicted two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization after a two-year investigation into whether the ex-president’s companies violated New York State tax laws. The companies — as well as their then-chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg — were charged with multiple counts of fraud and other tax-related crimes for not reporting millions of dollars in perks paid to Weisselberg and others as income.
Mr Trump and his attorneys have described the case as a politically-motivated witch hunt, but in her opening statement, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger told jurors it was anything but.
"This case is about greed and cheating, cheating on taxes," she said.
Ms Hoffinger and her colleagues will rely heavily on testimony from Weisselberg, who in August pleaded guilty to 15 separate violations of New York tax law as part of an agreement with prosecutors under which he will give evidence against his employer.
His testimony against the Trump companies could help Manhattan District Attorney’s Office prosecutors secure convictions against the company, which can result in massive fines and other collateral consequences that could bankrupt Mr Trump’s family business.
Last week, prosecutors told potential jurors in the case that Weisselberg remained on the Trump payroll and might be “reluctant” to respond to questions.
The criminal case against his companies is not the only legal peril being faced by Mr Trump or the Trump Organization.
Earlier this month, New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a separate civil lawsuit alleging that Mr Trump, his three eldest children, and his company fraudulently inflated his net worth by billions of dollars for a period of years in order to mislead banks into granting him loans on generously favourable terms.
With additional reporting by agencies
