The Trump Organization executive who was charged in a tax-dodging scheme involving unreported perks including free cars seems to have defended the arrangement by whining about his commute. Allen Weisselberg, who has looked after the Trump Organization’s financial dealings for decades, is accused of hiding $1.76 million in “indirect employee compensation” from the company, including lease expenses on two Mercedes-Benz cars for him and his wife. The Washington Post reports that, on the day he was charged, the executive seemed to offer an eyebrow-raising defense for the scheme. A defendant statement disclosure from district attorney investigators said: “In sum and substance, defendant Allen Weisselberg stated that the commute to work from Long Island was difficult.” He reportedly made the comments shortly before pleading not guilty to charges including scheme to defraud and grand larceny. Prosecutors allege that Weisselberg actually lived in an apartment in Manhattan—also paid for by the Trump Organization.
