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Allen Weisselberg
Photo: CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS
The New York judiciary has brought charges against Allen Weisselberg.
He is the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, the group with which the former US president manages his real estate empire.
The prosecution's allegation covers 15 counts, including fraud, conspiracy, aggravated theft and tax fraud.
Weisselberg plays a central role in the group.
The investigators had tried - apparently in vain - to get Weisselberg to make a statement against Trump.
By early morning American time, Weisselberg had already surrendered to justice.
His lawyers announced that their client would not plead guilty.
The Trump Organization had already accused the prosecutor in a message that they wanted to use Weisselberg as a pawn sacrifice.
“This is not a judiciary;
this is politics, ”the message said.
Trump himself had denied any wrongdoing and described the investigation as a witch hunt by politically motivated prosecutors.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance is a Democrat.
The real estate business of the ex-president is bundled in the Trump Organization, which comprises hundreds of sole proprietorships.
It owns luxury hotels, golf clubs, residential buildings, and commercial real estate in the United States and abroad.
Probably the most famous property is the Trump Tower in New York, where Trump lived for a long time.
Prosecutor has been investigating for years
Manhattan's District Attorney Vance has been investigating Trump and the Trump Organization since 2019.
Initially it was about hush money payments to the porn actress Stormy Daniels and the former "Playboy" model Karen McDougal, who say they had affairs with Trump years ago.
Trump denies this, but has admitted that he reimbursed his ex-lawyer $ 130,000 that Daniels had paid - the money was for a confidentiality agreement.
The investigation was then expanded to include possible tax, banking and insurance fraud.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James is also investigating the Trump Organization.
Vance and James are now cooperating in their investigation.
This text is continuously updated.
slü / kim / dpa / Reuters / AP
