Prosecutors Seek Cooperation of Trump Confidant, Subpoena Manhattan Private School
Source: Wall Street Journal
New York prosecutors have subpoenaed a Manhattan private school as they seek the cooperation of the Trump Organizations chief financial officer in their investigation of former President Donald Trump and his company, according to people familiar with the matter.
The subpoena seeks information from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, where grandchildren of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg are students, the people said. From 2012 to 2019, more than $500,000 of the childrens tuition was paid for with checks signed by either Mr. Weisselberg or Mr. Trump, the two childrens mother, Jennifer Weisselberg, told The Wall Street Journal. She is the former wife of Mr. Weisselbergs son Barry.
Ms. Weisselberg said she told Manhattan prosecutors that she and Barry understood the tuition payments to be part of her ex-husbands compensation package at the Trump Organization, where he worked. Former prosecutors not involved in the probe said the Manhattan district attorneys office could be examining whether the Weisselbergs evaded taxes with the tuition-payment arrangement.
The subpoena marks a separate front in the investigation of Mr. Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. s office, which has for months been seeking Allen Weisselbergs cooperation, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Weisselberg has worked for the Trump Organization for decades and is regarded as Mr. Trumps confidant and his companys financial gatekeeper. Mr. Weisselberg hasnt been accused of wrongdoing.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/prosecutors-seek-cooperation-of-trump-confidante-subpoena-manhattan-private-school-11620921963?st=ml0rn40j8ahptws&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Midnight Writer
(21,693 posts)Then Trump will publicly "counterpunch" and alienate his CFO.
"What we don't need is a President that can be baited with a tweet."
FakeNoose
(32,553 posts)If there's anybody who can put Chump in jail for the rest of his life, it's Weisselberg.
Just sayin'
soothsayer
(38,601 posts)How many kids does it take to cost that much tuition??
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,283 posts)soothsayer
(38,601 posts)FakeNoose
(32,553 posts)Princess Turandot
(4,787 posts)from the school's website:
Pre-kindergarten - $52,070
Kindergarten-Grade 8 - $54,640
Grade 9-Grade 11 - $55,290
Grade 12 - $55,490
This covers all school/sports related costs, including lunch, trips etc.
It's a day school for all 12 years of school plus kindergarten. I assume they admit students directly to the upper years, so the children in question may not have gone there for 12 years each.
Hekate
(90,527 posts)Did Trump have Weisselberg put it in his (Trumps) taxes as a business expense? Did Weisselberg put it in his own taxes as a gift? Inquiring minds at IRS and at the SDNY would like to know, I am sure.
Weisselbergs daughter in law thought her & hubbys apartment in Trump Tower was a wedding present from the Donald, and wrote him an effusive thank you letter. Years later, it turned out it was not a gift at all. The implications of this misunderstanding on her part and the lie on his part are mind-boggling.
For one thing, once she decided the marriage was over, it was reasonable for her to assume the apartment was community property, i.e. half hers, and that she could realize a nice nest egg upon its sale. This is an important consideration for a woman with children. But no it belongs to Donald.
As for Trump, how did he and Weisselberg Sr and Jr explain this arrangement on their taxes?
I hope the Mad Orange King of Mar A Lago meets the same fate as Al Capone: imprisoned for taxes.
Deminpenn
(15,265 posts)AFAIK, one can only get a max of $15k as a gift and have it be tax-free.
If, as his wife says, Barry Weisselberg considered this part of his compensation, then he has to declare it as income. Otherwise, it's tax evasion.
This is about Vance putting pressure on Alan Weisselberg to flip. He'll be asked to choose between saving his son from jail and his loyalty to Trump.
msfiddlestix
(7,270 posts)It seems from my reading this and other reports, Mr. Weisselberg hasn't been cooperating and yet doesn't he face similar charges?
maxsolomon
(33,232 posts)Tax evasion against Weisselberg's son? I get the impression that he'd take a bullet for Trump.