Last Tuesday, December 6, the family business of Donald Trump, Trump Organization, was found guilty of fraud and tax evasion by a New York jury. A piece of news that added to the long list of setbacks accumulated by the former president, who aspires to reach the White House again in the 2024 elections.
The lawsuit against Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation It was in charge of a Colombian. This is Juan Manuel Merchán, a 60-year-old from Bogotá who was in charge of the judicial process for the tax evasion plot that was carried out in the ex-president’s organizations.
Who is Merchan?
According to a profile prepared by the New York TimesMerchan was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and came to the United States, more specifically to the Jackson Heights neighborhood, in Queens, when he was only six years old.
His father, who served in Colombia in the military and had been part of the intelligence services, dedicated himself to washing dishes in Manhattan, while his mother worked in zipper and toy factories.
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Merchán worked carrying food, washing dishes in restaurants and even delivering meat. Later, he was a hotel night manager.
According to him New York Law JournalMerchán graduated from Baruch College with a business degree in 1990, and later graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in 1994.
During the criminal tax fraud trial of Donald Trump’s family real estate business, one participant was unusually equipped to digest the rows of spreadsheets and tax documents: the presiding judge, who worked for several years as an internal auditor. https://t.co/plKrdZz2os
—The New York Times (@nytimes) December 6, 2022
His legal career officially began in 1994, when he was an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. He has since been a New York Family Court Judge (2006 to 2009), a Claims Court Judge, and now an Acting Supreme Court Justice (since 2009).
“In addition to handling criminal trials in the State Supreme Court, Judge Merchán also presides over the Manhattan Mental Health Court and the Veterans Treatment Court, which provide special services to non-violent defendants,” recalls the Times.
In its profile, the American newspaper also highlights that Merchán has been recognized for his ethics and his “fidelity to the law.”
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The case against the Trump Organization
Merchán presided over the trial against the Trump organization, accused of having a scheme in which everything appeared designed to promote a high standard of living for executives – luxury cars, enrollment in expensive schools and exclusive apartments – without having to pay the corresponding taxes.
“We are talking about two corporations that were managed by a former president of the United States. That is very important and I took it very seriously,” Merchán told Snail News.
One of the star witnesses in the case was Allen Weisselberg, who for years was chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
Weisselberg had pleaded guilty on August 18 to 15 counts of defrauding and evading taxes for $1.76 million in unreported income between 2005 and 2021, directly linking the Trump Organization to “a wide range of criminal activities.” .
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Weisselberg, 75, admitted to the scheme created by the company to receive undeclared benefits such as the usufruct of a luxurious apartment in an elegant residential neighborhood in Manhattan, luxury cars for him and his wife, tuition fees at a private school for their grandchildren, the payment of furniture or cash for vacations.
“For 13 years, the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation maintained a scheme that rewarded top executives with lavish perks and severance payments while intentionally hiding the benefits from tax authorities to avoid paying taxes,” the jury said last Tuesday.
Although the final sentence will not be known until January 13, 2023, the company faces a fine of up to about 1.5 million dollars, which will not have much impact on the billionaire’s finances, but perhaps on his aspirations. policies within the Republican Party.
ANGIE NATALY RUIZ HURTADO
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
*With information from agencies
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