The defense rested Monday at the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial after a contentious day in court, putting the case involving former President Donald Trump’s real estate empire on track for deliberations next week.
Trump Organization lawyers contend that Manhattan prosecutors are seeking to punish the company for longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg’s scheme to avoid personal income taxes on company-paid perks such as an apartment and luxury cars.
The defense insists that neither Trump nor the Trump family knew about Weisselberg’s 15-year scheme as it was happening and that the company didn’t benefit from his actions. Echoing Trump’s recent social media posts, the company’s lawyers suggested that its longtime accountant, Donald Bender, shared some blame for not catching the fraud.
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