Ex-Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg Pleads Guilty To Perjury In Civil Fraud Trial
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Allen Weisselberg, Donald Trump’s former corporate finance chief, has pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury in connection with testimony he gave during the former president’s civil fraud trial last fall.
The 76-year-old surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office early Monday following weeks of negotiations with prosecutors. He will be sentenced to five months in jail, according to The Associated Press.
“Allen Weisselberg looks forward to putting this situation behind him,” Seth L. Rosenberg, one of Weisselberg’s lawyers, said in an emailed statement to HuffPost.
Weisselberg, who was alsosentenced last year to five months in prison after being found guilty of multiple tax fraud charges in 2022, had been suspected of lying about his former boss’ finances during a sworn deposition in May and while on the stand during Trump’s trial in October.
Weisselberg, under oath, had said that he was not involved in an evaluation of Trump’s Manhattan penthouse, which was listed for years as much larger in size on his annual financial statements than it actually was.
Shortly after Weisselberg’s testimony, Forbes published an article citing past emails and notes between the outlet and him that contradicted his claims. Forbes reported that he was not only involved in an evaluation of the penthouse, but he tried to inflate the property’s value over several years.
New York state Judge Arthur Engoron later questioned the veracity of Weisselberg’s testimony prior to delivering his judgment in Trump’s trial last month.
In an email to the defense and prosecution on Feb. 5, Engoron said he was considering whether he should throw out all of Weisselberg’s testimony after The New York Times first reported about Weisselberg negotiating with prosecutors on a perjury plea.
“As the presiding magistrate, the trier of fact, and the judge of credibility, I of course want to know whether Mr. Weisselberg is now changing his tune, and whether he is admitting he lied under oath in my courtroom at trial,” Engoron wrote.
Shortly after, Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties for lying about his wealth. Weisselberg was also permanently banned from having financial control over any New York corporation or similar business entity in New York.
In his ruling, Engoron said “the evidence is overwhelming” that Weisselberg, as well as Trump’s former corporate controller, Jeffrey McConney, “cannot be entrusted with controlling the finances of any business.” McConney received the same business ban in New York.
Weisselberg’s plea comes weeks before Trump’s trial related to hush-money payments made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in 2016 is scheduled to start.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen has said that Weisselberg advised him on how to pay Daniels before that year’s presidential election, though Weisselberg is reportedly not expected to be called as a witness in the case.
CORRECTION: This article was updated to reflect that Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two counts, not five, as was initially reported.
