Allen Weisselberg, a former executive at the Trump Organization, has been sentenced to five months in jail after being convicted of perjury in a New York civil fraud trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Weisselberg with lying under oath, a charge to which he pleaded guilty, admitting to two counts of perjury. His incarceration will take place at the notorious Rikers Island prison.
Weisselberg, who previously served as the chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, has acknowledged his role in inaccurately inflating the value of Donald Trump’s real estate assets, a central issue in the case led by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump and his associates. This case resulted in a hefty $454 million fine levied against the former President in 2022.
Weisselberg’s legal troubles aren’t new; he spent three months at Rikers last year following a guilty plea in a separate tax fraud scheme. His attorney stated that Weisselberg takes responsibility for his actions and is looking forward to retirement post-sentence.
The perjury conviction stems from Weisselberg’s testimony about the valuation of Trump’s Manhattan penthouse. During the trial last October, he claimed ignorance about the property being listed as a 30,000-square-foot residence when it was actually just over 10,000 square feet. Despite signing financial statements with the incorrect measurements, Weisselberg testified that he had “never thought” about the actual size of the apartment.
However, a subsequent report by Forbes Magazine contradicted his testimony, revealing email exchanges that showed Weisselberg was fully aware of the apartment’s true dimensions and had actively contributed to misleading Forbes about its value.
In a 2015 meeting detailed in the plea agreement, Weisselberg was present when Trump allegedly overstated the size of his apartment to Forbes reporters. By 2017, Weisselberg had knowingly signed off on a financial statement that included the inflated figures.
Weisselberg made no additional statements during his court appearance on April 10, before he was escorted in handcuffs to begin his sentence at Rikers Island.
