Trump Organization Found in Criminal Contempt in Tax Fraud Case

By Patricia Hurtado, Bloomberg News (TNS)

A New York judge found the Trump Organization in criminal contempt, saying it “willfully disobeyed” his orders to comply with grand jury subpoenas, a person familiar with the matter said.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the tax fraud case of two Donald Trump companies convicted on Dec. 6—Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp.—unsealed his earlier ruling on Tuesday. Merchan, who concluded the business also defied three court orders, imposed a $4,000 fine.

While the judge’s order, from December 2021, redacted the name of the entity he found in contempt, it is the Trump Organization, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter isn’t public.

“There comes a time when a court must enforce its authority,” Merchan said in the Dec. 8, 2021, order. “In this matter, that time is now.”

Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump Corp., and Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Payroll Corp., didn’t immediately return emails and voicemails seeking comment on the ruling.

The case is People v. Trump Organization, 01473-2021, New York State Supreme Court (Manhattan).

With assistance from Erik Larson.

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