The Trump organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, appears in a New York court after he surrendered to the authorities in New York City on July 1, 2021. Federal attorneys for the Manhattan Prosecutor reportedly charged the Trump Organization and its CFO Weisselberg with tax offenses. Seth Wenig-Pool / Getty Images
Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s CFO, accused of accepting luxury cars as part of tax avoidance, complained about his long commute while in custody, Washington Post court documents show.
According to the public prosecutor’s office quoted in the documents, Weißelberg apparently offered a defense of the agreement.
He reportedly complained about the long walk from his suburban home to the Trump Organization offices in Manhattan.
“In sum and in essence, the Defendant Allen Weisselberg has stated that getting to work from Long Island was difficult,” said documents submitted by prosecutors to the New York Supreme Court.
Weißelberg is said to have made the comment before pleading guilty of fraud and serious theft.
The 15-point indictment against Weißelberg and the Trump Organization was filed by Manhattan prosecutors as part of their far-reaching investigation into former President Donald Trump’s company. Trump organization lawyers also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Weißelberg also said on the day of his arrest that he has lived in his apartment on the Upper West Side since 2005, The Post reported.
The outlet said it was unclear whether he meant commuting from Long Island was difficult or just from one part of Manhattan to another.
According to his former daughter-in-law Jennifer Weisselberg, Allen Weisselberg commuted from a house in Wantagh on Long Island to his job at Trump Tower for decades.
According to Jennifer Weisselberg, Trump described the house as “embarrassing” when visiting in 2004 during a Shiva. Allen Weisselberg sold the house in 2013, according to The Post.
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Prosecutors allege Weisselberg accepted $ 1.7 million in corporate perks, including renting an apartment, schooling for his grandchild and renting two Mercedes-Benz cars as part of a tax avoidance.
The executive, which has been employed by the Trump Organization for decades, has so far resisted pressure from prosecutors to turn around and come up with evidence that will help them build their case.
Some legal analysts believe the Weißelberg trial is a warning shot to other executives that prosecutors hope will cooperate.
Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the investigation is politically motivated and the perks are not illegal.
Trump often gave perks such as apartments to high-ranking employees. Matthew Calamari, another executive of the Trump organization, is also being scrutinized for accepting tax-free perks, according to CNN.
He, too, has a house on Long Island and another in a Trump Organization apartment building in Manhattan, real estate records verified by insider officials show.
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