WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The CFO of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, is now facing a daunting indictment of 15 felony counts over a 15-year period.
The charges unsealed Thursday by the Southern District of New York include defrauding tax authorities and conspiracy.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said it may only be the beginning.
"I think this is a building block for future charges," Aronberg said.
He said he believes that even without charges against Donald Trump, the former president is still the focus of the investigation.
"The Manhattan DA did not have to prosecute Weisselberg himself. He could have just gone after the Trump Organization, but they deliberately included Weisselberg in the charges because they want to flip Weisselberg to get the biggest fish of them all, Donald Trump," Aronberg said.
Eliana Girard with the Palm Beach County Young Republicans believes the case in New York is all about politics.
"From the proof, this is not going to change his image for his campaign, but it is what the left is trying to do, to tarnish his next campaign. It's another playbook, keep that narrative [that] he's a bad billionaire," Girard said.
The nearly three-year investigation into the Trump Organization was well known, which included two Supreme Court decisions to obtain Trump's tax returns.
Following Weisselberg's arraignment, defense lawyers attacked the case against their client.
"In 244 years, we have not had a local prosecutor go after a former president of the United States," said Trump Organization lawyer Alan Futerfas.
Weisselberg and the Trump Organization have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
