Former Trump Organization CFO Pleads Guilty to Perjury
The former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization pleaded guilty to perjury charges related to his testimony in a civil fraud trial involving former President Donald Trump.
Allen Weisselberg, who served as Trump's longtime financial gatekeeper, faced five felony counts of perjury.
Ex-Trump Organization CFO pleads guilty to perjury charges https://t.co/msnI9FbWzZ pic.twitter.com/Yoi9GmgbgG
— The Hill (@thehill) March 5, 2024
He admitted guilt to two counts on Monday, acknowledging that he lied during a 2020 deposition as the New York attorney general's office pursued a civil fraud case against the Trump Organization.
As part of the plea deal, Weisselberg also confessed to lying during trial testimony and another deposition last year, although he did not plead guilty to those charges.
Weisselberg surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney's office on Monday morning and later appeared in state court in handcuffs and a mask. He was sentenced to five months in jail, as requested by prosecutors.
"Allen Weisselberg looks forward to putting this situation behind him," said his lawyer, Seth Rosenberg.
Weisselberg was implicated alongside Trump in a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging they conspired to manipulate Trump's net worth for tax and insurance benefits.
He was ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution, plus interest, and was barred from holding top leadership positions in New York corporations for three years, as well as from serving in financial control roles for life.
The perjury charges stemmed from a July 2020 deposition where Weisselberg falsely claimed ignorance about discrepancies in the size of Trump's Manhattan triplex, a crucial aspect of the investigation.
Weisselberg's plea deal follows his earlier guilty plea in 2022 for tax evasion related to unreported benefits from the Trump Organization. He served nearly 100 days in jail for that conviction.
His latest plea agreement precedes Trump's impending trial on charges of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Despite speculation, Weisselberg is not expected to cooperate against Trump in that trial, marking the first criminal prosecution of a former American president.
