EXPLAINER: Why and when are companies criminally charged?

Lawyers representing former president Donald Trump's company say they believe the Manhattan district attorney plans to ask a grand jury to indict the Trump Organization in an investigation that involves fringe benefits paid to employees

NEW YORK -- Lawyers representing former president Donald Trump's company say they believe the Manhattan district attorney plans to ask a state grand jury to indict the Trump Organization in an investigation that involves fringe benefits paid to employees. They don't expect Trump himself to face charges at this stage. Charging a corporate entity, rather than its top executives, isn't unprecedented. State and federal prosecutors have a long history of filing criminal charges against corporations for mostly the same reasons prosecutions are brought against individuals. Criminal charges can result in fines and penalties — sometimes in the billions of dollars — and changes to the way a company operates. And in some instances, they can result in the destruction of the business.