Trump Organization fined $1.6 million for tax fraud

The Trump Organization was convicted of 17 tax crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying business records.

NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s company was fined $1.6 million Friday as punishment for a scheme in which the former president’s top executives dodged personal income taxes on lavish job perks — a symbolic, hardly crippling blow for an enterprise boasting billions of dollars in assets.

A fine was the only penalty a judge could impose on the Trump Organization for its conviction last month for 17 tax crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying business records.

The amount imposed by Judge Juan Manuel Merchan was the maximum allowed by law, an amount equal to double the taxes a small group of executives avoided on benefits including rent-free apartments in Trump buildings, luxury cars and private school tuition.

Trump himself was not on trial and denied any knowledge of his executives evading taxes illegally.

The Trump Organization was charged through its subsidiaries Trump Corp., which was fined $810,000; and Trump Payroll Corp., which was fined $800,000.

While the fines — less than the cost of a Trump Tower apartment — aren’t big enough to impact the company’s operations or future, the conviction is a black mark on the Republican’s reputation as a savvy businessman as he mounts a campaign to regain the White House.

Neither the former president or his children, who helped run and promote the Trump Organization, were in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said the fines constitute “a fraction of the revenue” of the Trump Organization and that the scheme was “far-reaching and brazen.”

“All of these corrupt practices were part of the Trump Organization executive compensation package, and it was certainly cheaper than paying higher salaries to those executives,” he said.

Defense attorneys had argued that the fine should be slightly lower because, they said, state law bars fines on multiple counts of the same charge. They estimated the penalty should have been $750,000 or less for each of the two Trump entities.

Because the Trump Organization is a corporation and not a person, a fine is the only way a judge can punish the company after its conviction last month for 17 tax crimes, including charges of conspiracy and falsifying business records.

The company asked for 30 days to pay the fine; the judge ordered it to pay in 14 days.

By law, the maximum penalty that can be imposed by Merchan is around $1.6 million, an amount equal to double the taxes a small group of executives avoided on benefits including rent-free apartments in Trump buildings, luxury cars and private school tuition.

Trump himself was not on trial and denied any knowledge of his executives evading taxes illegally.

While a fine of that amount isn’t likely to affect the company’s operations or future, the conviction is a black mark on the Republican’s reputation as a savvy businessman as he mounts a campaign to regain the White House.

Besides the company, only one executive was charged in the case: former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty last summer to evading taxes on $1.7 million in compensation.

He was sentenced Tuesday to five months in jail.

Trump has said the case against his company was part of a politically motivated “witch hunt” waged against him by vindictive Democrats. The company’s lawyers have vowed to appeal the verdict.

The criminal case involved financial practices and pay arrangements that the company halted when Trump was elected president in 2016.

Over his years as the company’s chief moneyman, Weisselberg had received a rent-free apartment in a Trump-branded building in Manhattan with a view of the Hudson River. He and his wife drove Mercedes-Benz cars, leased by company. When his grandchildren went to an exclusive private school, Trump paid their tuition.

A handful of other executives received similar perks.

When called to testify against the Trump Organization at trial, Weisselberg testified that he didn’t pay taxes on that compensation, and that he and a company vice president conspired to hide the perks by having the company issue falsified W-2 forms.

Weisselberg also attempted to take responsibility on the witness stand, saying nobody in the Trump family knew what he was doing. He choked up as he told jurors, “It was my own personal greed that led to this.”

Trump Organization lawyers repeated the mantra, “Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg,” contending that he had gone rogue and betrayed the company’s trust.

Assistant district attorney Joshua Steinglass attempted to refute that claim in his closing argument, showing jurors a lease Trump signed himself for Weisselberg’s apartment.

“Mr. Trump is explicitly sanctioning tax fraud,” Steinglass argued.

A jury convicted the company of tax fraud on Dec. 6.

The company’s fine will be barely a dent in the bottom line for an enterprise with a global portfolio of golf courses, hotels and development deals. It could face more trouble outside of court due to the reputational damage, such as difficulty finding new deals and business partners.

The Trump Organization’s conviction and sentencing don’t end Trump’s battle with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who took office in January. Bragg has said that a related investigation of Trump that began under his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., is “active and ongoing,” with a newly hired prosecutor leading the charge.

At the same time, New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Trump and the Trump Organization, alleging they misled banks and others about the value of its many assets, a practice she dubbed the “art of the steal.”

James, a Democrat, is asking a court to ban Trump and his three eldest children from running any New York-based company and is seeking to fine them at least $250 million. A judge has set an October trial date. As a preliminary measure, he appointed a monitor for the company while the case is pending.

Trump faces several other legal challenges as he looks to retake the White House in 2024.

A special grand jury in Atlanta has investigated whether Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Last month, the House Jan. 6 committee voted to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department for Trump’s role in sparking the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The FBI is also investigating Trump’s storage of classified documents.

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Milton-Freewater park closes due to vandalism, littering, recurring damages

MILTON-FREEWATER — The city of Milton-Freewater announced it has closed Marie Dorian Park until further notice.



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Friday showers, big waves in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Friday’s wardrobe should include a light rain jacket and rain boots. Although, if you decide to wear shorts, no one will judge.

Temperatures will be in the low 50s from morning to afternoon. We’ll call it a warmer than normal January day. Eugene broke its daily record Thursday at 62° (60° in 2021).

An atmospheric river is falling apart but what’s leftover is favoring the coast. Friday rain for Portland is between 0.4″ and 0.5″. There is a chance of thunderstorms along the Oregon coast Friday.

The heaviest rain will be on Sunday. 

Drought monitor released Thursday reveals minimal change week to week for Oregon, but the northwest section is completely out of drought conditions at least. Central Oregon is in a tough spot with the exceptional drought category.

Weather Alerts issued by the National Weather Service:

BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT

* WHAT…Sneaker waves possible.

* WHERE…In Oregon, North Oregon Coast and Central Oregon Coast. In Washington, South Washington Coast.

* WHEN…Through Friday morning.

* IMPACTS…Waves can run up significantly farther on a beach than normal, including over rocks and jetties. Sneaker waves can suddenly knock people off of their feet and quickly pull them into the frigid ocean which may lead to serious injury or drowning.

COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY

* WHAT...Minor coastal flooding expected.

* WHERE...Southwest Interior, Everett and Vicinity, Tacoma Area,
  Admiralty Inlet Area, Hood Canal Area, Bellevue and Vicinity,
  Seattle and Vicinity and Bremerton and Vicinity zones.

* WHEN...From 6 AM to noon PST Friday.

* IMPACTS...Tidal overflow around high tide may cause flooding of
  lots, parks, and roads with only isolated road closures
  expected.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be
closed. Do not drive around barricades or through water of
unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone
property.

HIGH SURF WARNING

* WHAT...Dangerously large breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet.

* WHERE...All beaches and shorelines of southern Oregon. The
  most extreme conditions are expected at Cape Blanco.

* WHEN...From 10 AM this morning to 10 AM PST Friday.

* IMPACTS...Extremely large breaking waves will create very
  hazardous conditions along beaches and area shorelines. Waves
  will inundate beaches and surge into normally dry areas.
  Infrastructure damage and significant beach erosion can be
  expected.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Surf will build this morning and remain
  very high into Friday morning.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Beaches and coastlines will become hazardous due to very large
and life-threatening surf conditions. Stay off of beaches, rocks,
jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure.

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Anniversary of former Clackamas County deputy's shooting marked by the release of the man who shot him

Twenty years ago Monday, Clackamas County deputy Damon Coates was shot in the face and paralyzed by a teenager in the midst of a mental health crisis.

PORTLAND, Ore. — This week, the family of Damon Coates marked a bittersweet anniversary. Twenty years ago on Monday, the former Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputy was shot in the face by a 15-year-old who struggled with drugs and mental illness.

The case serves as a reminder that some of the issues that Oregon struggles with today — substance abuse, mental illness and gun violence — have been around for a long, long time.

KGW’s Pat Dooris knew Coates before the shooting. He was the public information officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, so Dooris had interviewed him many times prior.

Many people expected Coates to die that first night after the shooting. He survived. Some thought he’d die in the days, weeks, months and years that followed. He’s still alive, though unable to speak and confined to a wheelchair.

The teen who shot Coates is Nick Teixeira. After the shooting, Teixeira was found guilty except for insanity on charges of attempted aggravated murder and first-degree assault. He was sentenced to 20 years under the supervision of Oregon’s Psychiatric Security Review Board. He spent years in a number of settings, including the Oregon State Hospital, receiving treatment for his mental illness.

On Monday of this week, with some of his time reduced for good behavior, Teixeira’s 20 years were up. The review board released him from its custody. It’s an odd coincidence that this was also the 20-year anniversary of the shooting.

Teixeira is now free to go where he wants and do what he wants. His last known address was in Linn County.

Even though Teixeira can now try to move on, the damage to Coates and his family endures. There is no release for their pain — and after 20 years, it appears that their burden is harder than ever to endure.

20 years of ‘one day at a time’

“We are speculating he may have actually been carrying the gun, accidentally fired the weapon, possibly hit the floor and then the victims,” Coates can be heard saying in archived KGW video.

Damon Coates’ public-facing role with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office means that there is plenty of footage showing him from before the shooting. That’s how Pat Dooris remembers him: Confident and eloquent, he helped the public understand the latest details being released by law enforcement.

Later Coates switched to a different role with the agency and responded to calls for help. One of those calls brought him to the home of Nick Teixeira’s mother on Jan. 9, 2003.

Teixeira was in the midst of a psychotic episode, exacerbated by his drug use, that had gone on for several days. When he turned up at his mother’s house that day, he was out of control.

Coates arrived to confront Teixeira, but did not think the 15-year-old was armed. As he went to pat the teenager down to make sure, Teixeira pulled out a handgun and shot Coates in the face. Another officer shot Teixeira.

After the shooting, Coates suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed.

On Tuesday, Pat Dooris visited the Coates home to talk with Damon’s wife, Tammy, to see how they are holding up all these years later.

“I’d say pretty good. Would you say pretty good? Yeah. We’re makin’ one day count. One day at a time. A little difficult,” Tammy said. She periodically addressed Damon in his chair nearby, including him in the conversation.

“We had three of the four kids over and spend it with us,” she continued, talking about the anniversary of the shooting. “And we got to watch some videos and so that kind of was a good spot for us, for me to be in. And probably you, to have the kids support us. But later, after everybody was gone and I was by myself, it was hard.”

“Yeah, ’cause it’s one day at a time but you look back and see it’s been years and years and years,” Dooris offered.

“Yeah. And then the footage of him before he was shot … cause you have a lot of that,” Tammy said. “It was surreal — like I’d forgotten how that was.”

Some of the kids gathered to watch old video clips on the 20th anniversary of their father’s shooting. They also shared a photo of Damon from before — one of a strapping young man with a handlebar mustache and long curly hair.

In the years following the shooting, Damon forced himself to learn to talk and eat again. He threw himself into rehab, doing his level best to walk and move, at least somewhat.

Damon attended car shows and went on adventures with friends. He was able to walk down the aisle at both of his sons’ weddings. He’s been confined to a wheelchair for his daughters’ weddings, but he’s still here.

Tammy’s still here as well. They married about 39 years ago.

“(He’s) pretty good at keepin’ upbeat — and he’s always wanting to get out of bed, and then wanting to get back in bed,” Tammy said, laughing. “You know you’re old when that’s all you dream about. It’s in his eyes: ‘Can I get into bed?'”

Faith in the face of trials

There’s laughter, but it comes in spite of the pain. In 2011, Damon suffered from seizures, and doctors said he’d be lucky to live another year. Then, in 2016, a spinal cord issue caused by the bullet still lodged in his body threatened to take his life. He managed to survive that as well.

Earlier this year, Damon Coates was vomiting and choking, and soon his condition got so bad that he was placed on hospice care. After everything they’ve been through, Tammy isn’t sure what to expect from the future.

“Even the past week he’s flipped it around, so we just kind of go with the flow,” she said. “I just pray that things happen organically and that I won’t have to choose different things. Because when you work with hospice you realize different choices about the power that I have — I’d rather not have. It’s difficult to grasp.”

“So if you go by the person, it’s up and down and changing all the time. So, we’re just taking one day at a time and glad you’re feeling healthy — you’re not really in any pain, right?” she asked Damon. “I mean just aches and pains, but we’ve stopped therapy and we did things a little bit differently. But we’re not sure what we’re gonna do next.”

A few years ago, the family moved to a new location in Oregon City. The property has a small barn that’s since been converted into Damon’s home. A medical aide helps him with his critical needs, like eating. Tammy and the kids help out as well.

Tammy stays in a small house nearby. She tries to stay positive, but she says that the grueling weight of the reality of their life gets more difficult to carry as the years go by.

“I would say the last three years have the most difficult for me. I’m not sure why,” Tammy mused. “Maybe it’s just my age or the length of time. But the loneliness set in pretty heavy and the agitation on his end — and of course, because you’re frustrated you can’t talk, you can’t get your point across. You can’t get to where you want to be, you need to be, even bathroom needs. So … the combination was brutal.”

“But I’m starting to feel my strength come back and a new vision for him either being healed or him goin’ home with the Lord, or whatever. This is our new normal. So I just have to pick out the good things. Wake up and focus on what I’m blessed with and thankful for – (it) helps me. Do I do it everyday? Hundred percent no!” Tammy laughed. “I don’t do it every day, but when I do it just changes things.”

Tammy leans on her church family. Their faith played a central role through the years. Ten years ago, Damon and Tammy met with his shooter, Teixeira, and prayed for him.

“We got in a circle — which they never let you do — in a circle with the family and him,” Tammy recalled. “We held hands and we prayed over his life and it was miraculous, even the people there were in tears. It was just like, wow, you don’t get the opportunity to do that after that many years of our life changing. But yes, his life changed too. So we just wanted to fill him with hope. And then, you’ve still got choices, with what you’re going to do with your life and your hurts.”

This is not the life that Tammy and Damon imagined when they married 39 years ago. But it is their reality. Tammy said that they work daily to find peace.

“I said back then — like, I have no bitterness now. I don’t know if I ever will,” Tammy said. “And thank God. I’m not dead yet, so there might be an angry period of grief or something but … I mean, that doesn’t change a thing. You know? And like I said back then, he was a sick boy. I want him to be healthy. Him to not have you know, I think he has a child or two, not that unhealthy generation you know? You just want to have health in the next generation.”

“So we definitely don’t … I don’t. I cant speak for you,” she added, addressing Damon. “You all good? You all good with Nick and the people involved?”

Damon nodded his agreement.

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Bighorns and bacteria: ODFW continues campaign to protect bighorn sheep from fatal disease

BAKER COUNTY — Brian Ratliff is embroiled in a mystery nearly three years old, and the fate of Baker County’s biggest herd of bighorn sheep might well depend on the solution.

The list of clues, fortunately, is growing longer.

Ratliff is not a detective.

He’s a wildlife biologist.

He oversees the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Baker City office.

For almost three years, Ratliff and his colleagues, both at ODFW and from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservoir, have been investigating a bacterial disease that threatens the future of bighorn sheep in the Lookout Mountain unit east of Baker City.

Lab tests in early 2020, from samples of dead bighorns found near Brownlee Reservoir, confirmed a strain of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae bacteria not previously found in Oregon bighorns. The bacteria causes pneumonia that can kill bighorns.

Other strains of the bacteria, which have previously infected bighorn herds in Oregon, can also lead to fatal pneumonia.

Ratliff said bighorns, despite being stout and otherwise hardy animals, are quite vulnerable to a variety of viruses and bacteria that the sheep can quickly spread through nose-to-nose contact.

“Bighorn sheep getting sick is not new,” he said. “They’re a very susceptible species.”

Ratliff estimated that about 75 adult sheep, and the entire 2020 crop of lambs, around 65 to 70 animals, died that year.

ODFW has not identified the source of the bacteria.

The Lookout Mountain herd, which consisted of about 400 sheep, was the biggest group of Rocky Mountain bighorns in Oregon.

Biologists later in 2020 confirmed that the bacteria had also infected California bighorns, a somewhat smaller subspecies, in the Burnt River Canyon herd in southern Baker County. The Burnt River Canyon herd is smaller, with around 85 animals typically.

The two herds, separated by Interstate 84, sometimes mingle.

Although biologists relatively quickly identified the infectious culprit in both the Lookout Mountain and Burnt River Canyon herds, protecting the sheep has proved to be a much more daunting challenge.

Since 2020, ODFW, with financial assistance from the Umatilla tribe, Oregon and national wild sheep foundations and the federal government, has trapped about 200 bighorns, testing them to see if they had been exposed to the bacteria or were still infected, and fitting GPS tracking collars to several dozen animals so biologists can monitor their movements.

The ultimate goal, Ratliff said, is to identify “chronic shedders” — adult sheep that survive the infection but can easily infect other sheep — and then kill those shedders.

So far, ODFW has killed two adult sheep, one from Lookout Mountain and one from Burnt River Canyon, that were tested three times and each time were identified as chronic shedders.

The Lookout Mountain sheep was killed in February 2022, after its third positive test, and the Burnt River Canyon sheep in March 2022, Ratliff said.

Removing chronic shedders is vital, he said, because even a handful of these sheep can keep the bacteria circulating among a herd, dooming each year’s crop of lambs.

Based on an aerial count done in the fall of 2022, Ratliff estimated the Lookout Mountain bighorn population at 250 to 270 (biologists actually counted about 230 animals). As few as four or five chronic shedders, given the social structure of bighorns, which tends to bring together groups of sheep during the winter, could thwart efforts to eradicate the bacteria, he said.

The trapping and testing task continues. Workers from Baker Aircraft shoot net guns from helicopters to immobilize the bighorns, and then biologists do the testing and collar fitting on site, so the animals don’t have to be moved, Ratliff said.

In late December ODFW trapped and tested 12 sheep in the Burnt River Canyon. Ratliff is still waiting for lab results to determine which, if any, of those sheep is a chronic shedder and thus will be killed.

And this week the agency was scheduled to catch around 35 sheep from the Lookout Mountain herd.

Ratliff said the sheep will be tested for the bacteria, and biologists will fit 30 of them with a GPS collar. That will bring the total of collared sheep to 82, most from the Lookout Mountain herd.

An education in infectious diseases

In the era of COVID-19, some of the terms Ratliff uses have become familiar — nasal swabs and PCR tests and antibody levels.

And indeed the surveillance of bighorns is comparable to efforts to reign in the pandemic, although in the case of the sheep the infectious agent is bacterial rather than viral, as with COVID-19.

Biologists conduct two tests on each trapped bighorn.

The nasal swab can reveal the presence of the bacteria in the sheep’s nasal cavity, an indication that it is actively shedding the bacteria, Ratliff said.

The animal’s blood is scanned for antibodies to the bacteria.

The presence of the specific antibody means the sheep has been exposed to the bacteria, and the concentration gives biologists an estimate of how long ago the most recent exposure was, he said.

Testing over the past two years indicates that the initial 2020 outbreak, when the bacteria was widespread and both adult sheep and lambs were dying, has waned, Ratliff said.

“We’re not picking up much mortality, if any, among adults,” he said.

That’s not the case, however, with lambs.

It’s likely that all lambs born in 2020 and 2021 died.

Biologists saw lambs in the spring and summer of both years, but none was counted during the late fall aerial census.

As with many infections, the youngest animals tend to be especially vulnerable to the bacteria-induced pneumonia, Ratliff said.

The situation is slightly more promising now.

One group of Lookout Mountain sheep had five lambs, born in the spring of 2022, that were still alive during the fall survey, Ratliff said.

The voluminous data from the more than 50 GPS collars shows that the group with surviving lambs didn’t mingle during the summer and fall with other groups which, due to the lack of lambs, likely include at least one chronic shedder, he said.

That those lambs survived also implies that the group of which it is a member does not have a chronic shedder.

Ratliff said he’s concerned that the group with lambs will end up congregating with other groups this winter, possibly putting the lambs at risk.

One reason for optimism, though, is the absence of lambs in those other groups.

Ratliff said lambs, like children, tend to play together. So even if the group with surviving lambs mingles this winter with groups that include an adult that’s a chronic shedder, it’s possible that the lambs won’t have nose-to-nose contact with that shedding sheep, and thus survive.

In any case, those lambs, as they near their first birthday, are likely to be hardier and more likely to survive even if they are exposed to the bacteria, he said.

Pinpointing the problem

Ratliff said his confidence is growing in ODFW’s ability to identify and remove the chronic shedders from both Lookout Mountain and Burnt River Canyon.

“Things are starting to line up, allowing us to use a more targeted approach,” he said on Tuesday, Jan. 10. “We’re starting to understand how to move forward.”

That’s due largely to tracking collar data and previous test results, both of which give biologists stronger evidence of which bighorn social groups include chronic shedders.

As ODFW eliminates more of those sheep, Ratliff said the survival rate among lambs should increase.

The long-term survival of the herds depends on that.

He said the current lamb ratio in the Lookout Mountain is about 3 per 100 ewes. In the Burnt River Canyon herd it appears that at most one lamb from the 2022 crop has survived, yielding a ratio of about 1.8 lambs per 100 ewes.

To even maintain a herd population requires a ratio of about 30 lambs per 100 ewes, Ratliff said.

The current ratios, he said, “might as well be zero.”

Ratliff is eager to get test results from both the Lookout Mountain and Burnt River Canyon herds, and to use that data to hone the strategy to find chronic shedders.

“It’s like a murder mystery, and we’re trying to figure it all out,” he said. “Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. You’re never going to have every piece of data when you’re dealing with a wild population. But it’s starting to look better.”

Ratliff said the campaign to protect Baker County’s bighorns is part of a wider project, including Idaho, Washington and Nevada, that includes the testing of multiple strategies to deal with disease outbreaks in bighorn herds.

The local strategy is to identify and removing chronic shedders. In Washington officials are experimenting with reducing the population of herds, and another strategy is to let the outbreak run its course for a couple years and then reassess the situation, he said.

Ratliff is preparing a presentation he’ll give at the annual Sheep Show, a gathering of bighorn sheep hunters and biologists, Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 12-14, in Reno, Nevada.

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No More Glitzy Tourist Traps

At 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Eugene City Council holds a public hearing on changes to height limits along East 6th Avenue from 5th Street Public Market to Washington Jefferson Park. Up to 10 stories on the north side, it’s already approved at 15 stories on the south side. This will feel like a canyon going all the way down the avenue. OMG!

Once again I see the hand of Brian Obie and his ilk in this proposed change. He’s taken over that whole 5th to 6th Avenue area that ends at High Street. When is enough enough for this man? And when will the City Council stop giving him everything he asks for — with tax breaks, too?

What I see is a takeover of this small historic older part of town in order to create a glitzy, high-priced tourist trap. Eugene barely has any historic buildings left, and certainly no historic center. Most cities want a historic district. What is wrong with Eugene?

How will downtown shop owners feel about all the shoppers heading over to 5th Avenue and then continuing on to the waterfront area to spend all their money? You think downtown is a hollow shell now?

Eugene, stop allowing the destruction of our heritage for the sake of tourism and ghastly university housing with a shelf life of maybe 10 years. Remind yourselves of the Crapstone complex and what a piece of junk it is. It was supposed to have store fronts along the street, but somehow nobody noticed until it was too late.

Robin Bloomgarden

Eugene

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