Allen Weisselberg surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney's office early Thursday morning.- The Trump Organization CFO was expected in court on Thursday afternoon and plead not guilty.
- The DA is investigating whether former President
Donald Trump 's company committed financial crimes.
Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg handed himself in to the Manhattan district attorney's office early Thursday morning.
Weisselberg, a longtime aide to Donald Trump, was due in court later Thursday in relation to an investigation into whether the former president's company committed financial crimes.
He plans to plead not guilty and fight the charges in court, his attorney, Mary Mulligan, said in a statement.
Outlets including The New York Times, ABC News, and Bloomberg reported that Weisselberg surrendered in lower Manhattan, with some saying he did so at about 6:20 a.m. ET.
The CBS reporter Laura Podesta posted a photo of Weisselberg on his way:
-Laura Podesta (@LauraPodestaTV) July 1, 2021
Numerous reports late Wednesday indicated that charges against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization had been filed and were expected to be revealed Thursday.
The Times said Weisselberg was taken into the Manhattan district attorney's office with his attorney Mulligan. Bloomberg reported that he "went through a freight entrance to avoid cameras," though The Times still managed to photograph him.
The investigation into Weisselberg stems from the sweeping inquiry into the Trump Organization, the umbrella company for Trump's businesses.
Investigators are said to be looking at whether the company falsified its financial records for tax or insurance purposes.
The Trump Organization issued a statement Thursday morning defending Weisselberg, describing the charges as politically motivated.
"He is now being used as a pawn. by the Manhattan District Attorney as a pawn in a scotched earth attempt to harm the former president," the statement said.
As the longtime custodian of the company's finances, Weisselberg is believed to have come under particular pressure from prosecutors to cooperate.
Prosecutors have focused on whether Weisselberg paid tax on valuable perks he received from the company, including private-school tuition for his grandchild and property leases.
Insider's Sonam Sheth, Jacob Shamsian, and Azmi Haroun reported Wednesday that Jennifer Weisselberg, Weisselberg's former daughter-in-law, had cooperated with prosecutors.
She said she provided information indicating that Weisselberg's son Barry, her former husband, received fringe benefits from the Trump Organization without paying proper taxes on them.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, is conducting a separate investigation into the Trump Organization that is also said to hinge on allegations of financial wrongdoing.
Trump has denied allegations of wrongdoing at the company, claiming the investigations were politically motivated.