The Trump Organization Prosecution: What Is in the Charges?

The case that New York prosecutors have leveled against former President Donald Trump’s business empire and the company’s finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, is a reminder that corporations not only share rights enjoyed by individuals but they can also be indicted like people too.

The 15-count indictment made public Thursday charges the company and its longtime chief financial officer with evading payroll and income taxes over a 16-year stretch by paying off-the-book benefits to Mr. Weisselberg and other executives.

It alleges that the company skimmed payroll taxes by concealing compensation—in the form of everything from leases on Mercedes-Benz cars, to rent on an Upper West Side apartment, to home furnishings and private-school tuition.

Both Mr. Weisselberg and the company have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include felony charges of tax fraud, falsifying records and grand larceny. Notably, the indictment lists the federal Internal Revenue Service as a victim of the alleged theft.