Donald Trump is evidently no stranger to controversies or legal battles. The 76-year-old is gearing up to make another run at Presidency in 2024. However, he's found himself in yet another criminal case.
On Friday (January 13), a New York judge ordered two of his companies to pay up in a criminal tax fraud case. Although the payment is only $1.6 million, this is the maximum that state rules allow.
Furthermore, Ilya Marritz, who was covering the trial for NPR, says it's really not a lot of money for these crimes.
"At trial, prosecutors showed that executives working for Trump engaged in a wide variety of maneuvers to evade local, state and federal taxes over more than a decade. And many of those tricks also benefited the Trump business. One executive got an apartment and cars and private school tuition, all undeclared, off the books. That meant Trump didn't have to raise that executive's wages for many years, and the Trump business also skirted payroll and Medicare taxes," he says.
The former President and his legal team say they are preparing to appeal the case's verdict.
Of course, Trump officially left office in 2021, following President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. However, he initially fought against his loss, claiming he had in fact won. He subsequently filed lawsuits alleging that election fraud took place.
Regardless, the new conviction will likely not impact his hopeful run of becoming President again. "That's equivalent to about $25 to Donald Trump. He probably spends more at McDonalds," says political commentator, Scottie Hughes in response to the verdict.
What do you think about the ordered payment? Comment your thoughts down below. Finally, make sure you stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates and news.