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By Andrew Stanton
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The Trump Organization has been found guilty of tax fraud.
The jury handed down the guilty verdict following more than a day of deliberations after the trial, in which the Manhattan District Attorney's office successfully tried the Trump Organization for a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by evading taxes by compensating employees through perks including luxury cars and apartments.
The organization could face a fine of up to $1.6 million, according to the Associated Press. Former President Donald Trump, however, has not been personally charged in the case. The guilty verdict comes just weeks after he announced his 2024 presidential bid.
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New York prosecutors have spent years targeting Trump's financial dealings. He continues to face other ongoing lawsuits, including from New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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The guilty verdict applied to each of the 17 counts the company was facing, including falsifying business records and other conspiracy charges, the AP reported.
While Trump was not the main focus of the lawsuit, prosecutors argued during closing arguments that he "knew exactly what was going on with his top executives."
The case was based on testimony from Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization chief financial officer who in August pleaded guilty to conspiring with the company to avoid paying taxes on corporate benefits.
During the trial, he testified that he hid $1.7 million in fringe benefits by deducting their cost from his pre-tax salary and issuing false W-2, according to the AP.
Trump lashed out at Manhattan prosecutors earlier Tuesday, describing the trial as a "witch hunt." The former president had not publicly commented on the guilty verdict as of publishing. Weisselberg testified in exchange for a shorter jail sentence of only five months, the AP reported.
Reactions to the guilty plea poured in Tuesday afternoon.
"The former president may not have been directly charged in the Trump Organization case, but the jury's findings are nevertheless brutal: His prized family business has now been convicted of multiple felonies," tweeted MSNBC producer Steve Benen.
"Today's guilty verdict against the Trump Organization shows that we will hold individuals and organizations accountable when they violate our laws to line their pockets. I commend @ManhattanDA for this big victory," tweeted James, the attorney general who is suing Trump.
She filed a lawsuit earlier this year alleging that Trump and his business engaged in "years of financial fraud to obtain a host of economic benefits."
James also accused him of falsely inflating his net worth by billions of dollars. Trump is also facing a separate, still ongoing, investigation from the Manhattan DA's office, which saw a new prosecutor take the case on Monday.
She added that she is "proud of the role that my office played in securing" the guilty verdict.
Update 12/06/22 4:54 pm ET: This article was updated with more information.
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