Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is expected to bring criminal charges against the business empire of former President Donald Trump as early as next week, according to Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer.
Lawyer Ron Fischetti said Mr. Vance will file charges against the Trump Organization because the prosecutor hasn’t been able to pressure longtime Trump chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg into giving evidence against Mr. Trump in a tax-evasion probe.
“They could not get Allen Weisselberg to cooperate and tell them what they wanted to hear, and that’s why they are going forward with these charges,” Mr. Fischetti told NBC News on Friday. “They could not get him to cooperate because he would not say that Donald Trump had knowledge or any information that he may have been not deducting properly the use of cars or an apartment.”
He said the Trump Organization will plead not guilty to any charges.
The district attorney’s office, which has been investigating the Trump Organization in coordination with Democratic New York state Attorney General Letitia James, has declined to comment on the case.
The district attorney’s office informed Mr. Trump’s lawyers during a meeting on Thursday that it is considering criminal charges against the Trump Organization in connection with fringe benefits the company awarded to a top executive, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the investigation.
Mr. Fischetti said company lawyers tried at the meeting to persuade prosecutors not to go forward with the case.
No charges have been filed thus far in the long-running probe. Prosecutors have been scrutinizing Mr. Trump’s tax records, subpoenaing documents and interviewing witnesses, including Trump insiders and company executives.
Law enforcement officials familiar with the matter say the investigation has reached a critical point. A grand jury was empaneled recently to weigh evidence and Ms. James said she was assigning two of her lawyers to work with Mr. Vance on the criminal probe while she continues a civil investigation of Mr. Trump.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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