Former President Donald Trump's real estate company began mounting a defense on Monday in its criminal trial on charges including tax fraud after the prosecution rested its case, questioning an outside accountant who the Trump Organization contends should have caught a top executive cheating on taxes.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office called five witnesses over three weeks including their star witness Allen Weisselberg, the company's former chief financial officer who pleaded guilty in August to charges including grand larceny and tax fraud.
The Trump Organization, which operates hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, is accused of hiding executive perks from tax authorities for more than 15 years and reporting bonuses as non-employee compensation. The company, which has pleaded not guilty, could face up to $1.6 million in fines for the three tax fraud counts and six other counts it faces, if convicted. Trump himself was not charged.
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