Adding to Donald Trump’s legal woes as he seeks to return as the president of the United States in 2024, his real estate company was on Tuesday found guilty of defrauding tax authorities for 15 years.

The real estate firm, which oversees facilities including hotels, golf courses, and other assets around the world, was convicted of paying senior executives’ personal costs and distributing incentive cheques to them as though they were independent contractors. 

Held in state court in New York, the presiding judge, Justice Juan Merchan, set the judgment date for January 13.

The Trump Organisation’s two convicted entities are Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation.

The four-week trial heard testimony that Mr Trump personally signed the bonus checks each year, paid for Allen Weisselberg’s grandchildren’s private school tuition, approved the lease for his opulent Manhattan residence, and allowed a salary deduction for another employee.

Mr Weisselberg, 75, a former chief financial officer, appeared as the government’s star witness as part of a plea agreement that called for a five-month prison sentence.

The verdict was deemed “quite just” by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office handled the prosecution.

After being found guilty on all charges, including conspiring to cheat tax authorities, faking corporate records, and more, the company could be fined up to $1.6 million. 

The conviction might make it more difficult for the Trump Organisation to transact, even though the fine is not anticipated to be significant for a corporation of its size.

However, the Trump Organisation’s attorney, Alan Futerfas, stated that the business would appeal the ruling.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Mr Trump personally for how he handled classified government information after leaving office in January 2021 and attempting to rig the November 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.