NEW YORK: The long-serving chief financial officer of Donald Trump's company pleaded not guilty in a New York court to tax crimes on Thursday, the first charges related to an investigation into the former president's business dealings.
Allen Weisselberg, 73, was brought into the state courtroom in handcuffs for his indictment before a judge shortly before 2:15 pm (1815 GMT) after he surrendered to New York authorities.
The Trump Organization was also charged in a scheme to defraud New York from 2005 until this year.
The indictment of Weisselberg and the company had been expected for days as part of an almost three-year investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into business dealings at the Trump Organization.
Although Trump himself has not been charged at this stage, nor any members of his family, the charges deal a major blow to the Republican ex-president who has suggested he could run for the White House again in 2024.
The Trump Organization and Weisselberg were slapped with 15 felony counts including a scheme to defraud, conspiracy, grand larceny and falsifying business records.
Weisselberg is accused of evading taxes on $1.7 million of income over 15 years, according to the indictment.
The 73-year-old Weisselberg is viewed as the gatekeeper of the Trump Organization's secrets.
The charges are believed to be related to taxes on fringe benefits.
"Mr. Weisselberg... will fight these charges in court," his attorneys Mary Mulligan and Bryan Skarlatos told AFP.
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