Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has been sentenced to five months in New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex for perjury committed in a civil fraud case. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two felony counts of perjury after admitting to giving false testimony regarding the size of former President Donald Trump’s apartment during a deposition. Although prosecutors initially charged Weisselberg with three additional counts of perjury, their agreement allowed him to avoid pleading guilty to those charges.
Weisselberg’s perjury charges were related to false sworn testimony given on May 12, 2023, during a discovery deposition and on October 10, 2023, in his civil fraud trial with Trump. In that trial, Weisselberg and Trump were found liable for fraud and other allegations, with Weisselberg ordered to pay $1 million plus interest. The civil case against Trump and his associates, including Weisselberg, accused them of inflating the value of the Trump Organization to receive favorable loans and benefits.
Weisselberg had previously pleaded guilty in a separate 2022 criminal tax fraud case against Trump Organization, in which two subsidiaries were found guilty of 17 felony counts. As part of his plea agreement in Weisselberg’s perjury case, prosecutors agreed not to call him as a witness in Trump’s upcoming criminal trial. Weisselberg’s timeline of perjury began with his release from jail in April 2023, followed by instances of perjury in May, July, and October, leading to his current sentencing.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, under the leadership of Letitia James, has been pursuing cases against Trump and his associates for financial misconduct. The civil case resulted in a judgment against Trump for over $450 million, including interest, with Weisselberg found liable for fraud. During the fraud trial, Weisselberg acknowledged receiving $2 million in severance after leaving the Trump Organization. The Trump Organization entities were fined $1.6 million in the 2022 criminal tax fraud case, although Trump himself was not personally charged in that instance.
Weisselberg’s sentencing to five months in jail marks a continuation of legal troubles for Trump’s former executive following his previous jail time in 2023. His agreement with prosecutors in the perjury case allowed him to avoid additional charges but still resulted in a significant sentence. Weisselberg’s actions have been scrutinized by legal authorities for his role in providing false testimony and involvement in financial misconduct within the Trump Organization. The ongoing legal battles involving Weisselberg and Trump illustrate the complexities and consequences of financial crimes involving high-profile individuals and organizations.
