Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg's lawyer says they have 'strong reason to believe other indictments are coming'
- Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg's lawyer said they expect more indictments from the Manhattan DA.
- "We have strong reason to believe other indictments are coming," the lawyer said Monday.
- Weisselberg and the Trump Org. pleaded not guilty to 15 felony counts in July.
A lawyer representing the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, said Monday morning that they have "strong reason to believe other indictments are coming" as part of the Manhattan DA's criminal probe into the company.
He made the comment during a status conference at the New York state Supreme Court on Monday. The hearing came as prosecutors in the DA's office continue investigating whether former President Donald Trump's sprawling real-estate company violated state laws.
The DA's office charged the Trump Organization and Weisselberg in July with 15 felony counts, accusing him of tax fraud and grand larceny.
Prosecutors said the alleged criminal conduct was carried out as part of a "sweeping and audacious payment scheme" and that Weisselberg personally did not pay taxes on $1.7 million of his income dating back to March 2005.
Weisselberg and the Trump Organization pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were laid out in a 25-page indictment.
Among other things, investigators accused the defendants of filing false tax returns and said they "devised and operated a scheme to defraud federal, New York State, and New York City tax authorities" to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization executives "off the books."
Days before the indictment came down, Weisselberg resigned from a trust set up to control the Trump Organization's assets, The Washington Post reported, citing government documents. The New York Times also reported that the company stripped Weisselberg of his leadership positions at subsidiaries.
Other Trump Organization employees are under scrutiny
Prosecutors are also investigating whether the CFO's two sons, Barry and Jack Weisselberg, failed to pay taxes on perks they received through the Trump Organization.
They're believed to be trying to "flip" the elder Weisselberg into cooperating with the investigation, which could result in charges against Trump himself. Barry Weisselberg oversaw the Trump Organization's operations at the Wollman ice-skating rink in Central Park until earlier this year.
The July indictment against Weisselberg and the company also referenced "Unindicted Co-Conspirator #1." The Wall Street Journal later reported it was a reference to Jeffrey McConney, the company's controller, who testified to the grand jury following Weisselberg's arraignment.
Manhattan prosecutors are also examining whether Trump Organization COO Matthew Calamari received untaxed benefits. Nicholas Gravante, Calamari's lawyer, told Insider he's had ongoing discussions with prosecutors regarding Calamari. Gravante has secured immunity for the COO's son, Matthew Calamari Jr., who has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. Prosecutors had also scrutinized the finances of the younger Calamari, who oversees the Trump Organization's security.
In an interview with Insider Monday, Ronald Fischetti, the attorney representing Trump in the investigation, called for the case to be dropped. He said prosecutors had presented no evidence that the former president was involved in the alleged tax schemes.
"They have said nothing about the president knowing about this," Fischetti told Insider. "They have no tape recordings, they have no email, they have no text. They have no documents."
At Monday morning's court hearing, prosecutors and defense lawyers butted heads over how much time Weisselberg's attorneys could have to review six million pages of documents prosecutors have turned over in the investigation.
Judge Juan Merchan gave Weisselberg's team until January 20 to submit pretrial motions, but Weisselberg's lawyer Bryan Skarlatos requested more time. Prosecutors pushed back, however, and said they gave defense attorneys the "core" documents relevant to the case at the beginning of July. Merchan said he expected to schedule a trial for August or September of 2022.
Skarlatos raised concerns that his client would become "collateral damage" in the Manhattan DA's broader probe. But Solomon Shinerock, a prosecutor in Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.'s office, shot down that characterization and said, "With respect to the relevant financial documents, Mr. Weisselberg is the boss. He is not collateral damage here. He is an executive. He has been indicted by the grand jury."