Attorney Michael van der Veen Defends Trump Payroll Corporation on First Day of Tax Fraud Trial

The criminal tax fraud trial against Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation has begun, including jury selection processes and opening statements. Attorney Michael van der Veen is part of the defense team for Trump Payroll Corp.

 PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, October 31, 2022, the criminal tax fraud trial against Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation began, including the jury selection process and opening statements. Attorney Michael van der Veen of van der Veen, Hartshorn and Levin played a key role in those opening statements as one of the defense attorneys representing Trump Payroll Corporation. However, there has been an unplanned delay for approximately one week now that a key witness tested positive for COVID-19.

The defense's arguments are focused on an important premise: keeping the blame for any criminal wrongdoing on Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg. In August, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 felony tax fraud charges. Attorney van der Veen and other defense attorneys for both corporations are aiming to prove to the jury, court, and country that Weisselberg acted for his own gain.

In his courtroom statements, Attorney van der Veen argued passionately, "This case is about individual, personal greed, and the abuse of trust necessary to feed that greed. Allen Weisselberg is a man who has fallen to his greed. Greed, greed made him cheat on his taxes, hide his deeds from his employer, and betray a trust built over nearly 50 years. Allen Weisselberg has admitted to cheating on his taxes. His taxes. He did this with the intention to benefit himself and his family. He did not do it with the intention to benefit the Trump Payroll Corporation." He also coined the theme of the defense: "Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg."

Attorney van der Veen continued to explain how Weisselberg was only capable of committing such a degree of criminal tax fraud because he had earned the trust of the Trump Corporation and the Trump family across decades. "He was trusted to protect this company. He was trusted to run the accounting department properly. He was given an enormous amount of independent autonomy to conduct his job." Abusing that trust that he had cultivated for so long, he positioned himself alone to benefit from his misdoings.

The prosecution has attempted to argue that Weisselberg's continued payroll position with the Trump Organization shows that the corporation and its owners are involved in tax fraud. Attorney van der Veen was quick to counter that Weisselberg's continued paychecks were a sign of goodwill and forgiveness from Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation. "It's a story as old as time. We all know the Bible story of the prodigal son, a man who put his own personal goals and desires ahead of his family's. And when it all falls apart, he is taken back in by that same family and allowed to move forward. Forgiveness, however, comes with some restrictions. In this case, he has been removed from his position as CFO, and he has been placed on a leave of absence, and he is not at the Trump Corporate Headquarters."

Importantly, Attorney van der Veen and the defense are focusing on maintaining the innocence of the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation. Weisselberg's guilt has not been questioned, and it has even played a pivotal role in the defense's arguments. As Attorney van der Veen explained in the opening statements, "Now, in this case, we all agree that Allen Weisselberg cheated on his taxes. We all agree he adjusted his salary so that he could get income and benefits before tax dollars. What we vehemently disagree with and what the People will never prove beyond a reasonable doubt is that Allen Weisselberg did this with the intention to benefit the Payroll Corporation."

Attorney van der Veen presented the "Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg" argument in three clear points, which will be the main points of argument as evidence is used throughout the trial. "One, he hid the cheating on his personal income taxes from the owners of the Payroll Corporation. […] The second way we know Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg is he calculated his benefits, his own personal benefits in a detailed equation he created to cheat on his taxes. […] And the third set of facts, the third set of facts that tell us Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg, is he carried out his scheme on such a small scale as to really only benefit himself, his family, and his buddy Calamari."

During the jury selection process that began on Tuesday, potential jury members were quizzed for potential biases due to the highly controversial nature of some of the involved parties. Attorney Michael van der Veen has stated that he was focused on identifying even the slightest potential biases in jurors, so the trial can remain fair.

With the jury selection completed, it is now estimated that the trial could take up to six weeks to complete. During that time, Attorney van der Veen and the rest of the defense counsel will continue to argue that Allen Weisselberg's actions cannot fairly reflect on the Trump corporations and, therefore, a not guilty verdict must be entered.

For more information about Attorney Michael van der Veen and van der Veen, Hartshorn and Levin, interested parties can visit https://www.mtvlaw.com/.

More information about the Trump (Payroll) Corporation federal tax fraud trial:

• https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-organization-unveils-defense-strategy-keep-blame-away-from-trump-2022-10
• https://www.reuters.com/legal/opening-statements-criminal-case-against-trumps-company-set-monday-2022-10-31/
• https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-organization-tax-fraud-trial-set-opening-arguments-rcna54567
• https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/politics/jury-selection-trump-org-tax-fraud-trial/index.html
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/11/01/delay-trump-companies-trial-after-witness-tests-positive-covid/8240168001/

Media Contact:
Erica Green
egreen@mtvlaw.com

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SOURCE van der Veen, Hartshorn and Levin