NEW YORK--Jury selection began on Monday in the tax fraud trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump's company, with the Trump Organization ready to accuse its longtime chief financial officer of lying in a criminal case in which it is accused of awarding "off the books" benefits to some senior executives.
The trial in a New York state court is one of a mounting number of legal woes for Trump as he considers another run for the presidency in 2024. The Manhattan district attorney's office last year charged Trump's namesake real estate company and Allen Weisselberg, its then-chief financial officer.
Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August to helping the company defraud tax authorities for 15 years in an agreement with prosecutors requiring him to testify at this trial. The charges to which Weisselberg pleaded guilty included grand larceny and tax fraud, and he admitted concealing $1.76 million in income.
Weisselberg, considered the prosecution's star witness, is set to testify along with the company's controller, Jeffrey McConney. Susan Necheles, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said in a virtual hearing last week that challenging Weisselberg's admission that he hid information from the accountants would be part of the company's defense, according to a transcript of the proceeding held privately that was later unsealed.
"Weisselberg will testify he believed everything he was doing was wrong," Necheles said during the video conference. "We think he's lying and we want to show that."
Necheles said Weisselberg and McConney relied on outside accountants "who led them to believe that certain things were done correctly."
The process of choosing a 12-member jury began, with Justice Juan Merchan presiding over a trial he said could last six weeks. The judge told more than 100 prospective jurors about the charges and informed them that the company pleaded not guilty and that proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt would be required for conviction.
Merchan heard from 19 prospective jurors who read him answers to a written questionnaire seeking basic biographical details as well as whether they had strong opinions on Trump or his companies. Several jurors who said they had strong opinions but that they could remain fair were allowed to stay. One who said her views would interfere with her ability to be impartial was dismissed. Lawyers from both sides on Tuesday will have the opportunity to question prospective jurors in more detail.
Michael Van der Veen, a lawyer for Trump, told jurors his team would focus on Tuesday on asking whether jurors could truly be fair and impartial. He said he was optimistic jury selection could be completed by Friday.
The Trump Organization, which operates hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, could face up to $1.6 million in fines for the three tax fraud counts and six other counts it faces. The company has pleaded not guilty. Trump, a Republican businessman-turned-politician who rose to fame in New York, is not charged in the case.
