Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg is set to be sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath in Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud case. This will be his second time behind bars, as he previously served 100 days for tax evasion. The two cases highlight Weisselberg’s loyalty to Trump, who employed him for nearly 50 years and continues to pay his legal bills. Weisselberg’s plea agreement does not require him to testify at Trump’s hush money criminal trial.
Prosecutors have agreed to a five-month sentence for Weisselberg, citing his age and willingness to admit wrongdoing. Perjury is a felony in New York, punishable by up to seven years in prison. Trump’s lawyers have criticized the prosecution, accusing the Manhattan district attorney’s office of unfair tactics. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to lying under oath in the civil fraud case, specifically regarding the size of Trump’s Manhattan penthouse, which was inflated on financial statements.
Weisselberg testified multiple times in trials that did not end favorably for Trump, but he consistently downplayed any serious wrongdoing by his boss. Despite his guilty plea, Weisselberg will not testify at Trump’s hush money trial, which is set to begin this week. The civil fraud case involved allegations of Trump and his executives deceiving banks, insurers, and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements. The judge ruled against Trump, ordering him to pay millions in penalties.
Trump is facing multiple criminal cases, with the hush money trial being the first to go to trial. He is accused of falsifying company records to cover up payments made during his 2016 campaign to hide stories of marital infidelity. Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer turned key prosecution witness, has implicated Weisselberg in orchestrating the payments. Despite this, Weisselberg has not been charged in that case. Both prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers have not indicated whether they will call him as a witness in the trial.
The size of Trump’s penthouse was a central issue in the civil fraud case, with Weisselberg providing conflicting information about its dimensions. An email that Weisselberg received in 1994 attached a document stating the apartment’s actual size, at odds with the inflated figure on financial statements. Despite this discrepancy, Weisselberg claimed not to have been aware of the correct size and denied knowingly providing false information. The judge in the civil fraud case criticized Weisselberg’s testimony as evasive and unreliable.
Weisselberg’s upcoming jail sentence highlights the continued legal troubles facing Trump and his associates. Despite his willingness to admit guilt and serve time, Weisselberg’s role in the Trump Organization’s alleged wrongdoing remains a point of contention. The outcome of the hush money trial and potential future legal proceedings will likely shed further light on the extent of Weisselberg’s involvement and his loyalty to Trump.
