特朗普集团(Trump Organization)前首席财务官艾伦·魏斯勒伯格(Allen Weisselberg)周四作证说，他独自决定犯下税务欺诈，对他从特朗普集团获得的附加福利不纳税。
Weisselberg，他在八月认罪为了逃避近200万美元的所得税，正在作证，这是与曼哈顿地区检察官办公室就前总统唐纳德·特朗普同名房地产公司税务欺诈指控进行审判的认罪协议的一部分。
特朗普集团被指控支付魏斯勒伯格曼哈顿公寓的租金、他和他妻子的汽车租赁费、车库费用、他孙子的学费、他在佛罗里达的房子的家具和其他个人费用——所有这些都没有缴纳所需的税款。
该公司的辩护律师艾伦·福特法斯(Alan Futerfas)问魏斯伯格:“你被委托对这些事情进行适当的解释。”。"没人允许你进行税务欺诈吗?"
“正确，”Weisselberg回答。
"你不纳税的决定仅仅是为了艾伦·韦塞尔伯格的利益?"福特法斯问道。
“正确，”Weisselberg回答。
“除了你之外，你知道还有谁知道你没有在纳税申报单上申报这些租金吗?”福特法斯问道。
“没有，”魏塞尔伯格回答说。
"不报道的决定是你做出的，而且完全是为了你的利益?"福特法斯问道。
“这是正确的，”Weisselberg回答。
检察官认为，Weisselberg的行为牵连到该公司，因为他作为首席财务官的职位意味着他受委托代表特朗普集团行事。
2012年的一天，Weisselberg作证说，特朗普和Weisselberg在特朗普大厦26层的办公室，当时特朗普的儿子小唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump Jr .)拿着支票走进来，为他孩子的学校学费签字。
韦斯伯格说，特朗普笑了笑，转向韦斯伯格，说:“我也可以为你的孙子孙女付钱。”
Weisselberg说，特朗普开始为Weisselberg的两个孙子每人每年签署三张支票，供他们上哥伦比亚文法学校，每年总费用约为10万美元。陪审团看到了一些支票的图像。
“我说，‘我会为此报复你的。’”weissel Berg作证说。
Weisselberg说，他通过指示公司总监杰夫·麦康奈尔(Jeff McConney)减少他的工资和奖金来偿还特朗普，减少的金额与特朗普组织支付的学费、租金、汽车租赁费和其他个人费用相同。根据展示给陪审团的一份电子表格，2015年的金额超过了195395美元。
“我偿还了支付我工资的实体，”Weisselberg说。
“你没有告诉特朗普先生你要减少你的薪酬吧?”福特法斯问道。
“我从来没有，”Weisselberg回答说。
检察官Susan Hoffinger说，通过降低他的工资，该公司受益，因为它能够节省工资税。
"你知道特朗普薪资公司伪造了你的W2吗?"霍夫手指问道。
“我知道我的工资报告是不正确的，是的，”Weisselberg回答，他承认这种做法为公司节省了资金。
Weisselberg作证说，该公司在2017年停止为他和其他高管支付个人费用，作为唐纳德·特朗普当选总统时“清理过程”的一部分。
检察官表示，该公司知道这种做法是错误的，但允许它继续下去，直到特朗普的竞选和总统任期带来新的审查。
“我们正在对公司进行整个清理过程，以确保特朗普先生现在是总统，一切都做得很好，”魏斯勒伯格说。
一旦特朗普集团停止支付他的租金、汽车租赁费、孙子的学费和其他个人费用，魏斯伯格说，他要求增加20万美元来支付这些费用。
根据他的证词，Weisselberg表示，尽管他承认了15项刑事指控，并且不再担任首席财务官，但他仍每年获得64万美元的薪酬，并预计年底将获得50万美元的奖金。
“这是为了给你省钱?”富特法斯向韦塞尔伯格询问了他获得的额外津贴。
“是我个人的贪婪导致了这一切，是的，”Weisselberg回应道。
“你有没有和特朗普家族的任何成员合谋?”福特法斯问道。
“没有，”魏塞尔伯格回答说。
“你认为公司的所有者指望你做正确的事情吗?”福特法斯问道。
“是的，”Weisselberg回答。
"你尊重对你的信任吗?"福特法斯问道。
“我没有，”Weisselberg回答。随着盘问的进行，他似乎变得情绪化了。
“你对自己的所作所为感到尴尬吗?”福特法斯问道。
“比你想象的还要多，”Weisselberg回答道。
Former Trump Organization CFO testifies that decision to skirt taxes was his alone
Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg testified Thursday that it was his decision alone to commit tax fraud by paying no taxes on the fringe benefits he received from the Trump Organization.
Weisselberg, who in August pleaded guilty to skirting nearly $2 million in income taxes, is testifying as part of a plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney's office in the trial of former President Donald Trump's namesake real estate company on tax fraud charges.
The Trump Organization is accused of paying the rent on Weisselberg's Manhattan apartment, the leases on cars for himself and his wife, garage expenses, tuition for his grandchildren, furniture for his house in Florida, and other personal expenses -- all without the required taxes being paid.
"You were entrusted to account for these things properly," the company's defense attorney, Alan Futerfas, asked Weisselberg. "No one gave you permission to commit tax fraud?"
"Correct," Weisselberg replied.
"And your decision not to pay taxes was solely to benefit Allen Weisselberg?" Futerfas asked.
"Correct," Weisselberg answered.
"Were you aware, aside from you, of anyone else knowing you failed to report the value of these rental payments on your tax returns?" asked Futerfas.
"No," replied Weisselberg.
"This decision not to report was yours and solely to benefit you?" Futerfas asked.
"That's correct," Weisselberg answered.
Prosecutors believe Weisselberg's conduct implicates the company because his position as chief financial officer meant he was entrusted to act on the Trump Organization's behalf.
One day in 2012, Weisselberg testified, Trump was in his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower with Weisselberg when Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. walked in with checks to sign for his children's school tuition.
Weisselberg said that Trump chuckled, turned to Weisselberg, and said, "I may as well pay for your grandkids too."
Trump began signing three checks per year for each of Weisselberg's two grandchildren to attend Columbia Grammar School at a total annual cost of about $100,000, Weisselberg said. The jury saw images of some of the checks.
"I said, 'I'm going to pay you back for this,'" Weisselberg testified.
Weisselberg said he paid back Trump by instructing company controller Jeff McConney to reduce his salary and bonus by the same amount as the tuition payments and his rent, car leases and other personal expenses the Trump Organization was paying. In 2015, that amount was more than $195,395, according to a spreadsheet displayed for the jury.
"I paid back the entity that paid my salary," said Weisselberg.
"You didn't tell Mr. Trump you were reducing your compensation, did you?" Futerfas asked.
"I never did," Weisselberg responded.
By reducing his salary, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said the company benefited because it was able to save on payroll taxes.
"Did you know the Trump Payroll Corporation was falsifying your W2?" Hoffinger asked.
"I knew my payroll reporting was incorrect, yes," replied Weisselberg, who conceded that the practice saved the company money.
Weisselberg testified that the company stopped paying personal expenses for him and other executives in 2017 as part of a "cleanup process" when Donald Trump was elected president.
Prosecutors have suggested that the company knew the practice was wrong but allowed it to continue until Trump's campaign and presidency brought new scrutiny.
"We were going through an entire cleanup process of the company to make sure that since Mr. Trump is now president that everything was being done properly," Weisselberg said.
Once the Trump Organization stopped paying his rent, his car leases, his grandchildren's tuition and other personal expenses, Weisselberg said he asked for a $200,000 raise to cover the costs.
Weisselberg said he is still being paid $640,000 a year and is expecting a $500,000 bonus at the end of the year despite pleading guilty to 15 criminal charges and no longer working in the office as chief financial officer, according to his testimony.
"This was about saving you money?" Futerfas asked Weisselberg about the perks he received.
"It was my own personal greed that led to this, yes," Weisselberg responded.
"Did you conspire with any member of the Trump family?" asked Futerfas.
"No," replied Weisselberg.
"Do you believe the owners of the company relied on you to do the right thing?" Futerfas asked.
"Yes," Weisselberg answered.
"Did you honor the trust that was placed in you?" Futerfas asked.
"I did not," Weisselberg replied. He appeared to get emotional as the cross-examination pressed on.
"Are you embarrassed about what you did?" asked Futerfas.
"More than you can imagine," Weisselberg replied.
