Trump Org Sentenced to Pay $1.6 Million for Tax Fraud

On Friday, a New York judge ordered the Trump Organization, owned by former President Donald Trump, to pay a $1.61 million criminal penalty for scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years, Reuters reports.

Manhattan criminal court Justice Juan Merchan imposed the maximum penalty possible under state law, following a guilty verdict on 17 criminal charges by a jury last month.

“The sentencing today, along with the sentencing earlier this week, closes this important chapter of our ongoing investigation into the former president and his businesses,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case.

Bragg added that the investigation into Trump’s business practices will continue.

“We now will go on to the next chapter,” he told reporters.

The company’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, also received a sentence of five months in jail after serving as the prosecution’s star witness.

Susan Necheles, one of the defense lawyers, announced plans to appeal the sentence.

“This case was all about Allen Weisselberg committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns. Every witness repeatedly testified that President Trump and the Trump family knew nothing about Allen Weisselberg’s actions,” Necheles said after the verdict.

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