NY prosecutors tell Trump lawyers they are considering charges against his business, report claims

Charges could reportedly be announced as soon as next week

Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on 28 February, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. The Trump Organization could soon be facing criminal charges, according to The New York Times. (Getty Images)

The Trump Organization could face criminal charges in connection with fringe benefits the company allegedly awarded to a top executive, The New York Times has reported.

Citing several anonymous sources with knowledge on the matter, the newspaper the Manhattan district attorney’s office had informed former President Donald Trump’s lawyers that his family business could be facing formal charges in connection with the incident.

If the case moves ahead, NYT reported that district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr could announce charges as soon as next week.

The charges would likely be laid against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.

It had already been known that prosecutors had been building a case against Mr Weisselberg, with prosecutors having honed in on perks Mr Trump and the Trump Organization gave to the chief financial officer and other executives.

However, it had not been known that charges might also be laid against the Trump Organization.

Among the perks alleged to have been handed out to Mr Weisselberg are tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for one of the executive’s grandchildren, in addition to covering rent and car leases.

Prosecutors have been looking into whether those benefits were correctly recorded in the Trump Organization’s ledgers and whether taxes were paid on the perks, according to the NYT.

Mr Trump’s lawyers met with senior prosecutors in the district attorney’s office on Thursday to urge them against charging the company, the newspaper reported, citing several people with knowledge of the meeting.

As the outlet reported, such meetings are commonplace in white collar criminal investigations, though it is unclear whether the meeting had any impact on prosecutors’ plans.

It is also unclear whether Mr Trump himself will eventually face charges in the investigation, which began three years ago.

If charges are laid against the Trump Organization and Mr Weisselberg, they would be the first criminal charges to come out of Mr Vance’s investigation into Mr Trump and his business practices.

The Trump Organization has long denied any wrongdoing.

The Independent has contacted the company for comment.