Trump company's CFO surrenders ahead of expected criminal tax charges

The Trump Organization's longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities on Thursday, as he and Donald Trump's namesake company prepare to face the first charges from a criminal investigation.

Weisselberg, who helped run Trump's real estate empire during his presidency, entered a building housing Manhattan's criminal court.

He and the Trump Organization are expected to be arraigned later in the day, a person familiar with the matter has said.

The exact charges being brought by the district attorney, Cyrus Vance, were not immediately known. Vance's office has been working with investigators from the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

An indictment of the Trump Organization could undermine the company's relationships with banks and business partners, and complicate Trump's political future as he contemplates running again for president in 2024.

In a statement, the Trump Organization said Vance was using Weisselberg, who has worked for the Trump family business for 48 years, "as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president."

"This is not justice; this is politics," the company said.

Trump himself is not expected to be charged this week, though prosecutors have said their probe into his company is continuing, his lawyer Ronald Fischetti has said.

The former president, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing, and called the probe a "witch hunt" by politically-motivated prosecutors. Vance and James areboth Democrats.