Taxes
Trump Ordered His Companies to Fight Criminal Tax Fraud Case
- Businesses under criminal probe often bargain with prosecutors
- Boss said no way; now ex-CFO Weisselberg testifies at trial
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The criminal tax fraud case against a pair of Trump Organization companies playing out in a Manhattan courtroom this month went all the way to trial because of one man: Donald Trump.
Companies under criminal investigation often cut deals to lessen or avoid prosecution in exchange for paying a penalty and changing their conduct. But because the two Trump business units would have had to say their employees knowingly committed tax fraud, the boss wouldn’t let them strike a plea deal with prosecutors, according to a person familiar with the decision who asked not to be named discussing a private matter.