Donald Trump's company found guilty of tax fraud, in case 'about greed and cheating'
6 December 2022, 22:18 | Updated: 6 December 2022, 22:20
Donald Trump's company has been found guilty of tax fraud in a New York court.
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The Trump Organisation was found to have taken part in a scheme by top executives to avoid paying personal income taxes on job perks such as rent-free apartments and luxury cars.
The company is likely to have to pay a fine of $1.6 million (£1.32 million), which is unlikely to make much of a dent in its finances, US media reported.
The conviction is a validation for New York prosecutors, who have spent three years investigating the former president and his businesses.
A lawyer for the company said it would launch an appeal against the decision.
Prosecutors accused the company of having a "culture of fraud and deception", claiming that bosses ran a scheme for some executives to "understate their compensation" - meaning that their taxes "were significantly less than the amounts that should have been paid".
Two subsidiary companies of the Trump Organisation - Trump Corp and Trump Payroll Corp - were convicted on all 17 charges of tax fraud and falsifying business records.
Manhattan District Attorney said the case was "about greed and cheating".
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He said: "For 13 years the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities."
Former Republican president Mr Trump, who last month announced a third White House run for 2024, slammed the verdict after it came out on Tuesday.
He wrote on his Truth Social site: "Murder and Violent Crime is at an all time high in NYC, and the D.A.’s office has spent almost all of its time & money fighting a political Witch Hunt for D.C. against 'Trump' over Fringe Benefits, something that in the history of our Country, has never been so tried in Court before," he wrote on his Truth Social site.
"Two weeks at trial, yet no MURDER CASE has gone to trial in 6 years, much to the consternation of victims mothers and families who are devastated that NOTHING is being done to bring JUSTICE. Too busy on 'Donald.'"
Mr Trump and his children are facing another legal case that could see them barred from doing business in the state of New York.
