Will Donald Trump end up in jail? Last night, his business empire was charged with 15 serious tax felonies. Legal analysts say investigations may end up incriminating the former president.

The man was Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officerA term for a senior executive with primary responsibility for a company's finances. of the Trump Organisation: a group of around 500 businesses owned by the ex-president himself. And he had been called in by the Manhattan district attorney to face criminal charges against himself and the company.

The exact nature of the charges is unknown. But they are thought to hinge on the accusation that Organisation employees received perks - including apartments, cars and private school fees - to help the company avoid paying tax.

Weisselberg could reduce his own risk of punishment by cooperating with the investigators. Weisselberg once described himself as the "eyes and ears" of the Organisation; others have called him the Robin to Trump's Batman. Many think his revelations could allow prosecutors to bring in Trump himself.

Along with Weisselberg, the Organisation itself has been charged. Banks do not lend to criminal companies, so a conviction could be a big problem. As attorney Dan Goldman says: "every lender would call their loans". Trump's businesses would likely go bankruptUnable to pay one's debt..

This is not Trump's only legal challenge. The Independent recently reported that Trump currently faces 29 lawsuits. Among other things, he is being sued for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, defrauding his own niece and bedbugs in his hotels.

In 2019, 64% of Americans believed that Trump had committed a crime before taking office. Some of those once close to him agree. His one-time advisor Steve Bannon is alleged to have called the Organisation a "criminal enterprise". And when asked this week whether Trump deserved to go to jail, employee-turned-critic Barbara Res said: "I imagine he does."

With public opinion and a legal barrageA bombardment of multiple artillery weapons over a large area. against him, it might sound like Trump is sure to face the musicTo be confronted with the bad consequences of one's actions.. Yet even if he stands knee-deep in crime, there is no guarantee that he will be punished.

Bars and stripes

Trump is still enormously popular in some sections of the US. A recent poll found that 48% of Republican voters would nominate him to run for president in 2024, far above his closest rival (and former vice-president), Mike Pence, at 13%.

Seeking to imprison him might be dangerous. His declarations that the 2020 election was "rigged" caused a violent mob to storm the US CapitolThe building in Washington DC where the US Congress meets. It was named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome.. Trump has already attacked the district attorney's office, describing it as "rude, nasty, and totally biased". Charging him might lead to new threats.

And his former office might afford some protection. No ex-president has been indicted. Joe Biden has called prosecuting a former president a "very unusual thing and probably not very... good for democracy".

Plus, legal investigations can take years. Trump could conceivably galvanise his supporters and win the 2024 election before the investigation is complete.

Will Trump end up in jail?

Maybe so, say some. It is difficult to prosecute a former president for crimes committed while in office. But Trump and his Organisation have been around for far longer than that four-year window. The role he played for a brief time should have no bearing on what he did before. If he turns out to be guilty, a refusal to punish him would be a catastrophic failure of the American justice system.

Probably not, say others. To place an ex-president behind bars would diminish the majesty of that role. It would tarnish the justice system with accusations of political bias, undermining one of the cornerstones of American democracy. Besides, Trump is slippery. He has survived numerous setbacks and scandals, including almost 4,000 lawsuits. This time will be no different.