NEW YORK – As prosecutors ramp up their investigation of Donald Trump and his family business, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has subpoenaed a senior finance executive at Trump's company to testify before a state grand jury, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The executive, Jeffrey McConney, has long served as the Trump Organization's controller, making him one of a handful of high-ranking executives to oversee the company's finances.
The subpoena comes as the prosecutors have trained their focus on one of McConney's colleagues, Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's longtime chief financial officer. The prosecutors, who are working for the district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., have examined the extent to which Trump handed out valuable benefits to Weisselberg's family and whether taxes were paid on those perks.
Vance's office has mounted an aggressive effort to gain Weisselberg's cooperation against Trump and the Trump Organization, people with knowledge of that effort have said. When seeking to turn an insider into a cooperating witness, prosecutors often seek leverage over the person, including any evidence of past wrongdoing, and then typically offer leniency in exchange for testimony or assistance.
The subpoena of McConney, who has worked at the company for nearly 35 years, suggests that the examination of Weisselberg's conduct has reached a new phase, with the grand jury hearing evidence about him.
A lawyer for McConney could not immediately be reached for comment. Mary E. Mulligan, a lawyer for Weisselberg, declined to comment, as did the Trump Organization.
ABC News reported that McConney had already testified before the grand jury, but that could not be confirmed.
The investigation into Weisselberg centers on the valuable benefits that Trump provided him and his family over the years, including tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for at least one of Weisselberg's grandchildren, free apartments and leased cars.
