Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail after pleading guilty to lying under oath during his testimony in a civil fraud case brought against former President Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Weisselberg, 76, admitted to lying about his knowledge of how Trump’s Manhattan penthouse came to be valued on financial statements at nearly three times its actual size. He was swiftly taken into custody after the sentencing.
The civil fraud trial ended with Judge Arthur Engoron ruling that Trump and his executives had deceived banks, insurers, and others by lying about his wealth on financial statements. Trump was penalized $455 million and Weisselberg ordered to pay $1 million. They are both appealing. This is Weisselberg’s second time behind bars, having served 100 days last year for tax evasion. Trump’s family employed him for nearly 50 years and continues to pay his legal bills. Weisselberg will now trade life as a Florida retiree for a stay at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex.
Weisselberg has already testified twice in trials for Trump but is not required to testify at Trump’s upcoming hush money criminal trial. Prosecutors cited his age and willingness to admit wrongdoing in agreeing to a five-month sentence. Perjury in New York is a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. Prosecutors have promised not to prosecute Weisselberg for other crimes he may have committed in connection with his Trump Organization employment.
Trump’s lawyers criticized Weisselberg’s perjury prosecution, accusing the Manhattan district attorney’s office of unethical tactics. They noted the case against Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer turned key witness in a hush money payments case, where perjury allegations were ignored. Trump valued his penthouse as 30,000 square feet in financial statements from 2012 to 2016. Weisselberg provided this figure to a former Trump executive, but emails from 1994 contradicted this size. Forbes magazine disputed the size in 2017, leading to a decreased valuation on Trump’s financial statement.
As Weisselberg was testifying in October, Forbes published an article revealing his lies under oath about the Trump Tower penthouse. Weisselberg’s decision to plead guilty only to charges related to his 2020 deposition testimony was to avoid violating probation in a separate tax case. Despite his age and cooperation, he was sentenced to five months in jail. Trump and Weisselberg are currently appealing their penalties in the civil fraud case. The former CFO’s long history with Trump and the ongoing legal battles highlight the complexities of their relationship and the legal challenges they face.
