Manhattan DA's office has convened a second grand jury to weigh potential criminal charges against the Trump Organization

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The Manhattan DA's office has convened a second grand jury to weigh potential criminal charges against the Trump Organization
Jacob Shamsian, Business Insider
Thu, November 4, 2021, 1:35 PM

The Manhattan DA's office has convened a second grand jury for its Trump Organization investigation, according to the Washington Post.

This one is looking into whether Trump's company misrepresented its finances for tax and bank loan purposes, per The Post.

The first grand jury brought charges against the company and CFO Allen Weisselberg in July.

Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's office have empaneled a second grand jury to consider whether to bring new criminal charges against the Trump Organization, according to The Washington Post.

The new special grand jury is considering charges related to how former President Donald Trump's company valued its assets, a source told The Post.

Another grand jury brought by the DA's office filed 15-count indictments against the Trump Organization and its CFO Allen Weisselberg in July, alleging they evaded taxes. Both Weisselberg and the Trump Organization pleaded not guilty to the charges.

For around three years, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has been investigating the Trump Organization's finances. As part of that investigation, the office is examining of whether the company misrepresented its finances to obtain favorable tax, insurance, and bank loan rates.

The new grand jury was seated last week and was expected to begin hearing evidence on Thursday, according to the Post. The original grand jury was scheduled to last through November, but could be extended as well.

Both grand juries are special grand juries, meaning that jurors sit for up to six months.

The scope of the new grand jury means that the Trump Organization probe will almost certainly continue into the administration of Alvin Bragg, who on Tuesday was elected to succeed Vance.

The issue of property value manipulation was first raised by Michael Cohen, a former executive at the Trump Organization and personal lawyer for Trump. He testified to Congress in 2019 that the company effectively kept two sets of books - one to present a rosy picture of finances for favorable loan and insurance rates, and another that presented a more dire picture to pay less in taxes.

Vance's office, in litigation to enforce subpoenas to obtain the Trump Organization's financial documents, previously indicated it would examine potential discrepancies. Court filings from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, which has joined forces with Vance on the investigation, suggested that it was examining discrepancies in property evaluations as well.

Trump was not personally charged in the first set of indictments and has not been accused of wrongdoing. Representatives for Trump and the Trump Organization didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

In a hearing in September for the first set of criminal charges, Bryan Skarlatos, an attorney representing Weisselberg, said he believed the Manhattan DA's office would file additional charges.

"We have strong reason to believe other indictments are coming," Skarlatos said.

Regular Member Posts : 7317 Join date : 2014-07-29

11-6-2021

Trump criminal probe appears to have ‘taken
a serious turn’: Former US attorney.

Last week, Manhattan prosecutors convened a second grand jury as part of their criminal probe into former president Donald Trump's company —
an investigation that has already yielded charges against Chief Financial Officer Alan Weisselberg.

The new long-term grand jury is expected to focus
on how the Trump Organization valued its assets — and potentially vote on new indictments.

What the new grand jury could mean.

"Grand jury investigations are by definition secret, and so we only know little dribs and drabs that get leaked out," McQuade explained. "And just because
a grand jury is investigating doesn't mean charges will be returned.
It may be that they'll investigate and determine that there is insufficient evidence or no crime at all. But the fact that they've proceeded to this stage does suggest that the case has taken a serious turn."

"They (prosecutors) begin by looking at documents and records and talking to people, and if and when they think it's reaching a point where they need to call people in to testify, that's when they impanel
a grand jury," said McQuade, who served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017.
"So it sounds like they've reached that stage.
I do think this suggests it's moving into an advanced stage and the evidence they've obtained so far is serious enough to believe that charges are possible."

Earlier Saturday, the New York Times reported that Georgia prosecutors are also expected to convene a grand jury as part of a criminal investigation involving the former president.

» Trump/Special Grand Jury/Criminal Charges.
» Trump Is Guilty of 'Numerous' Felonies:
» Manhattan DA Issues Subpoenas Of Trump Criminal Probe: WSJ
» Forbes Reporters Testify To Grand Jury About Trump.
» Prosecutor; Trump Should Be Investigated and Face Charges After Leaving Office