Trump Fumes After Jury Convicts His Business of Criminal Tax Fraud: ‘New York City Is a Hard Place to Be Trump’

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Former President Donald Trump fumed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” after his company was convicted of criminal tax fraud in New York on Tuesday.

A jury in Manhattan found two separate Trump Organization companies guilty of tax fraud charges over the falsifying of business records. Prosecutors argued former company CFO Allen Weisselberg received fringe benefits dating back 15 years that were designed to evade paying taxes.

Trump and his family were not named in the case, but the former president raged at the verdict in a statement he released Tuesday evening.

“MANHATTAN WITCH HUNT!” Trump wrote. “Disappointed with the verdict in Manhattan, but will appeal. After looking at millions of pages of documents, over many years, much to the detriment of record setting murder and other forms of violent crime that are taking place in New York City, the Government was able to get an employee to ‘plea’ in order for a very reduced sentence.”

Trump continued:

This case was about Allen Weisselberg committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns, etc., with he and every witness repeatedly testifying that President Trump and the Trump Family knew nothing about his actions, which he admits were done solely for his own benefit, and with no benefit to the two companies.

Why would Corporations, which knew nothing about Weisselberg’s personal tax returns, be prosecuted for that person’s conduct? There was RELIANCE by us on a then highly respected and expensive accounting firm, and law firm, to do this work. The accounting firm also did his personal returns, which we are not even allowed to legally view.

Trump concluded the case was “unprecedented.”

“It is a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country. New York City is a hard place to be ‘Trump,’ as businesses and people flee our once Great City!” he wrote.