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In the criminal tax fraud trial involving Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corporation the jury selection process and opening remarks have begun. The defense team for Trump Payroll Corp. includes attorney Michael van der Veen

On Monday, October 31, 2022, the jury was chosen and the opening statements in the criminal tax fraud trial against Trump Company and Trump Payroll Corporation began. Attorney Michael van der Veen , Hartshorn, and Levin was one of the defense lawyers defending Trump Payroll Corporation during those opening statements. However, an unexpected delay of almost a week was brought on by an important witness’s positive COVID-19 test.

The defense’s arguments are focused on one essential issue: holding Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s CFO, accountable for any illegal behavior. In August, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts of tax fraud. Attorney van der Veen and other defense attorneys for both companies are presenting evidence to persuade the jury, the court, and the country that Weisselberg acted selfishly.

In his opening remarks, advocate van der Veen presented passionate assertions,

“The subject of this case is the misuse of trust required to gratify individual, private avarice. Someone who has given in to greed is Allen Weisselberg. His avarice was the root of his tax fraud, the cover-up of his acts from his employer, and the breach of a 50-year-old trust. Allen Weisselberg admitted to tax fraud and filed false tax returns. He did this for the benefit of himself and his family. Whilst it’s possible that was his intention, he did nothing to aid the Trump Payroll Corporation.

According to lawyer van der Veen, Weisselberg was only able to participate in such a major case of criminal tax fraud because he had spent years acquiring the trust of the Trump Organization and the Trump family. He had the confidence to defend this company. He might run the accounting division effectively. He received a lot of independence to perform his duties. The trust he had fought so hard to earn was exploited, and he put himself up to profit solely from his wrongdoings.

Weisselberg’s continued employment with the Trump Organization is used by the prosecution to argue that both the company and its owners are involved in tax fraud.

Attorney van der Veen promptly rebutted, saying that Weisselberg’s decision to continue receiving a paycheck from Trump Business and Trump Payroll Corporation was viewed as a show of goodwill and pardon. “The tale is as old as time. Everyone is familiar with the biblical parable of the prodigal son, who neglected his family in favor of his ambitions but was eventually adopted back by them and let to move on. But there are limitations to forgiveness. In this situation, he has lost his job as CFO. Also, he is absent from the Trump Corporate Headquarters due to a leave of absence.

Attorney van der Veen and the defense are concentrating on preserving the innocence of the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation, which is essential. It has not been disputed that Weisselberg is guilty, and the defense’s arguments have even made a big out of it. Attorney van der Veen stated in his opening statement, “Right now, we can all agree that Allen Weisselberg filed fake tax returns in this case. We can all agree that he altered his salary so he could earn money and benefits without having to pay taxes. We don’t believe Allen Weisselberg intended for this to be in the best interests of the Payroll Corporation, and the People will never be able to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt.

three distinct arguments

The “Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg” defense was presented by attorney van der Veen, who outlined three distinct arguments that will be the main points of disagreement when evidence is used during the trial.

The Payroll Corporation’s shareholders were first misled about his income tax fraud. […]

We know he did it for Weisselberg because he used a complicated formula to figure out his benefits. This was the second method Weisselberg cheated on his taxes. […] Furthermore, he carried out his plan on such a small scale as to solely benefit himself, his family, and his friend Calamari.

What persuades us that Weisselberg did it for himself is this third collection of information, the third set of facts that demonstrate to us that he did it for himself.

Possible jury members were questioned during the jury selection process, which started on Tuesday, due to the very acrimonious character of some of the parties involved. To ensure that the trial would progress fairly, according to attorney Michael van der Veen, he focused on identifying even the tiniest potential biases in the jury.

After the jury has been selected, the trial might now run up to six weeks, according to current predictions. Attorney van der Veen and the other defense lawyers will keep arguing that Allen Weisselberg’s actions cannot be deemed to adequately reflect the Trump enterprises and that, as a result, a not-guilty verdict must be entered.

conclusion

Michael van der Veen, 58, burst onto the national scene in 2021 without a clear plan other than to represent clients in significant cases. He compared himself to “Goodyear selling tires” or “Ticonderoga selling pencils” after he represented former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment only months after suing the Trump administration over the suppression of mail-in ballots.

#donaldtrump #michaelvanderveen #payroll #tax

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