Trump Organization CFO Pleads Not Guilty To Tax-Related Charges

The Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded not guilty to tax-related charges after being indicted by a grand jury.

According to The Hill, Weisselberg pleaded not guilty to the 15 charges, including tax fraud, conspiracy, grand larceny, and falsifying business records. Both he and the Trump organization have denied wrongdoing.

He was led past reporters in handcuffs as he made his way to court.

The indictment, unsealed on Thursday afternoon, accuses the Trump organization and Weisselberg of engaging in a “scheme constituting a systemic ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud more than one person and to obtain property from more than one person by false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”

Carey Dunne, an attorney in the district attorney’s office, said in court on Thursday, “As spelled out in the indictment, this was a fifteen year-long tax fraud scheme, involving off the books payments, which is a type of crime that’s charged against companies and executives all the time.”

She added, “Contrary to today’s assertion by the company’s former CEO this is not a ‘standard practice in the business community,’ nor was it the act of a rogue or isolated employee.”

Dunne claimed “it was orchestrated by the most senior executives, who were financially benefiting themselves and the company by getting secret pay raises at the expense of state and federal taxpayers.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James released a statement responding to the indictment.

“Today is an important marker in the ongoing criminal investigation of the Trump Organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg,” James said.