(MondoNBC)- Donald Trump was in on his company's alleged tax scheme, said a New York prosecutor during closing arguments in the state's criminal fraud and tax evasion case against two Trump Organization companies Friday.

The former president was not charged in the Manhattan District Attorney's effort to prosecute the Trump companies, but his name was invoked frequently at the monthlong trial, by both sides.

On Friday morning before jurors were brought to the courtroom, defense attorneys argued that New York judge Juan Merchan should limit the prosecution's ability to mention Trump in its closing arguments. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said he needed to talk about Trump in order to rebut defense arguments made "throughout the trial, and especially during their summations, this was happening without Mr. Trump's knowledge, this was part of a betrayal."

The two Trump Organization companies, called the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation, were indicted in July 2021 and accused of using a variety of methods to reduce payroll liability from executive salaries with untaxed bonuses and luxury perks worth millions. 

"The fact is this was sanctioned, and that the practice was known to Mr. Trump, directly rebuts that incorrect narrative that the defense has been spinning since day one of this trial," Steinglass said to the judge.

Merchan agreed.

"I think Mr. Steinglass has made out a fair argument for why it is necessary to bring up the name Donald Trump. I do not think it was gratuitous," Merchan said.
 

The company's lawyers frequently repeated what Steinglass called a "mantra" Thursday: "Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg." They argued that Weisselberg misled the company and other executives.
 

Weisselberg spent several days on the stand testifying about the scheme  He and two witnesses who received immunity during prior grand jury proceedings — current company controller Jeffrey McConney and outside accountant Donald Bender — described a series of methods used by Trump Organization executives to avoid taxes, and payroll liability, on large bonuses and luxury benefits. 

Weisselberg testified that when Trump first signed a tuition check for a private school Weisselberg's grandchildren attended, he told Trump he'd pay the money back, and did so by reducing his salary.

Steinglass on Thursday pointed to several instances in which Trump signed off on luxury untaxed benefits — such as more than $195,000 in high end cars for Weisselberg and his wife — and signed executive bonus checks worth hundreds of thousands, logged as if they were payments to independent contractors. 

Steinglass displayed on the screen a chart presented by defense attorney Susan Necheles that she said showed "this started with Allen Weisselberg and ended with Allen Weisselberg."