Meyer Lansky was from Poland, he said, which wasn’t exactly
true. By the time anyone of importance asked, he was already a wheel in
organized crime, so people believed him. He was in with pals people like
Bugsy Siegel and by the time he got together with Lucky Luciano, he was well
established as a guy who knew figures. And probabilities. And how to use
them.
He also managed to acquire what are called “points” -- small
chunks of, um, equity -- in casinos around the world where the aphorism “the
house always wins” was born. And true. And although the papers
called him “The Mob’s Accountant,” he was never convicted of anything. When he
died the FBI said he left more than a quarter of a billion dollars to his
family. But all they ever found was $57 thousand.
All of which brings us to Allen Weisselberg, who is the
chief financial officer of the former president donald trump’s shifting and
shifty assortment of businesses. Surely, he must be an expert in another
aphorism, this one about robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Weisselberg’s been indicted in a tax scheme -- alleged, tax
scheme, I suppose we’d better call it -- in which a few millions changed hands
-- depending on how you value it -- without paying the vig to the IRS or the
Good Men and Good Women of Albany, New York, which is easy to forget is the
state capital.
The District Attorney of New York County likely doesn’t much
care about any of Weisselberg’s doings. What he cares about is what’s in
the guy’s head.
What’s there? Only Allen knows for sure. What
does the DA think is there? Probably every evil you could attribute to
the former president donald trump and then some.
Tax cases of this size seem big to your run-of-the-mill
working stiff. But they’re pretty routine in a world where one billion dollars
barely qualifies you for a spot on the Forbes 400 or Bloomberg’s
minute-by-minute tracking of anyone and everyone in that asset neighborhood --
except Bloomberg himself.
So, what does the DA really want? Brain content. Oh,
sure if Weisselberg is convicted or cops a plea, he’ll probably do some
time. Weisselberg is 73 years old and by all accounts in decent health.
So a few years at Club Fed won’t kill him.
But the real entre in this meal is the former president
donald trump. And the question is simple: would the CFO turn against the
CEO? The guessing is probably not. But you never know. Maybe
Weisselberg won’t be convicted of anything… after all, Lansky wasn’t. Or maybe
he’s allergic to the food or dust from the baseball diamond at Otisville, New
York. But other than that, inmates say, it has most of the comforts of home.
A lot of people are salivating to do something to the former
president donald trump and should be. And this indictment can probably
raise hopes. But a lot of others think the former president donald trump is
more likely to die of Teflon poisoning than he is to do time.
Some people are just lucky that way.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome
to them.
Any Questions? wesrichards@gmail.com
© WR 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment