Allen Weisselberg, former CFO of the Trump Organization, was sentenced to five months in jail on Wednesday for perjury during the civil fraud trial in New York that also involves former President Donald Trump and others. The sentence was issued by a state court judge in Manhattan, just days before Trump is scheduled to face trial over different allegations related to covering up a sex scandal.
Weisselberg, who was not charged alongside Trump in the upcoming trial, saw legal challenges escalate after he declined to cooperate against Trump. According to the New York Times, this reticence led prosecutors to focus on him more intensely.
BREAKING: Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg was sentenced Wednesday to five months in jail for lying under oath during his testimony in Trump’s civil fraud case and during the investigation that preceded it. https://t.co/VTLp6cdPw9
— ABC News (@ABC) April 10, 2024
At 76 years old, Weisselberg pleaded guilty last month to two counts of perjury stemming from his 2020 testimony to the New York attorney general’s office, which was investigating Trump for fraud. The sentencing process was notably swift, lasting about three minutes, marking a stark contrast to his earlier legal proceedings.
New York Attorney General Letitia James led the fraud investigation that culminated in the charges against Weisselberg. The investigation alleged that Trump and his associates, including Weisselberg, exaggerated their financial statements to secure favorable loan terms. As a result, Weisselberg faced a $1 million fine and was prohibited from holding any financial leadership positions in New York-based businesses.
Trump’s legal team has voiced criticism of Weisselberg’s prosecution, citing his age as a factor and portraying him as an unwarranted target in a broader probe aimed at Trump.
If he exhibits good behavior, Weisselberg could see his sentence reduced by about 100 days, although he is expected to remain in jail throughout Trump’s criminal trial, which is overseen by the same prosecutorial team. Jury selection for this trial is set to begin soon.
Weisselberg’s history with the Trump family spans nearly fifty years, during which he accumulated considerable knowledge about the Trump Organization’s operations. His refusal to cooperate with prosecutors signifies a continued loyalty to Trump, despite personal legal risks.
Previously, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2022 and agreed to testify against the Trump Organization, though he did not directly implicate Trump. The organization was later convicted on multiple counts of financial crime, and Weisselberg served part of his sentence at Rikers Island.
The upcoming trial will proceed without Weisselberg’s cooperation, focusing on allegations that Trump falsified business records to conceal payments made during the 2016 election to suppress information about a sexual encounter.
Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea involved misrepresentations about the size of Trump’s triplex apartment in Trump Tower and his role in inflating its value. His reliability was further questioned during the trial after he minimized his involvement in valuing the property and during a subsequent deposition.
Prosecutors portrayed Weisselberg as motivated to lie to protect his position, confronting him with evidence of a severance agreement that restricted his cooperation with law enforcement. Judge Engoron, in his final decision, cited this agreement as a factor in deeming Weisselberg’s testimony “highly unreliable.”