On Friday, a New York judge sentenced the Trump Organization, the main company of former US President Donald Trump, to pay 1.6 million dollars (about one and a half million euros) for defrauding the tax authorities for 15 years . The guilt of the Trump Organization had already been established in December last year: the judge had yet to establish the penalty and decided to apply the highest allowed by law.
According to the judge, for 15 years Trump’s company made illegal and extensive use of the so-called “fringe benefits”, ancillary goods and services that are added to the ordinary salary to pay employees and on which lower taxes are paid. Trump’s lawyers have challenged the application of the maximum sentence and have announced that they will appeal the sentence.
The sentences do not directly concern either Trump or his family, but could have serious consequences on the Trump Organization’s relations with banks and credit institutions, as well as on the reputation of the former president, who has announced his intention to also run for president in the 2024.
