Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Pleads Guilty

By Elena Gilbert On Aug 19, 2022

Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Pleads Guilty: Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg pled guilty on Thursday for his part in a 15-year tax fraud scheme and promised to testify against former President Donald Trump’s real estate company as part of the arrangement.

Weisselberg responded, “Yes, your honor,” when asked if he was pleading guilty of his own volition on Thursday in court.
A Manhattan condominium, two Mercedes-Benz leases, and private school tuition for his granddaughters were all part of the $1.7 million Weisselberg said he had hidden from the IRS by pleading guilty to 15 charges.

He admits hiding the money from his tax preparer and deliberately leaving it off his returns.
Weisselberg responded quietly to the judge’s detailed inquiries regarding the plot with a series of “Yes, your honor”s.
Nearly $2 million in taxes, interest, and penalties will be paid by him, and he will give up his right to appeal as part of the settlement.

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Weisselberg’s sentencing, according to Judge Juan Merchan, will follow the trial against the Trump Organization. From what he understood, the deal entailed a five-month jail term followed by five years of probation.

If Weisselberg does not comply with the terms of the plea agreement, the court said, “I would be at liberty to impose any lawful sentence which in your instance includes incarceration from 5 to 15 years.”

His evidence might be damaging to the Trump Organization if a trial on tax-related charges goes through as planned in October, and the plea puts him at odds with the organization he worked for for 40 years.

In a statement, Weisselberg’s primary attorney Nicholas Gravante Jr. expressed his client’s relief at the conclusion of the case.

Gravante stated, “In one of the most painful decisions of his life, Mr. Weisselberg decided to enter a plea of guilty today to put an end to this lawsuit and the years-long legal and personal horrors it has caused for him and his family. ” Instead of facing up to fifteen years behind bars, he’ll be serving one hundred days in jail. We’re relieved this is all over for him.

“The two Trump companies that the Manhattan DA has been targeting, however, will not be taking a plea for the simple reason that they have done nothing illegal,” a Trump Organization spokesman said in a statement emailed to CNN on Thursday.

That being said, we’re looking forward to our day in court, which has been oddly set for October 24 — just days before the midterm elections.

Allen Weisselberg was praised in the statement as “a wonderful and decent guy” who has been “harassed, hounded, and threatened by law enforcement, particularly the Manhattan District Attorney,” all in an effort to apprehend the ex-President.

Since 1973, Weisselberg has been working for the Trumps, and he has shown unwavering loyalty to them. Even if Weisselberg testifies against the corporation, he will not bring any of the Trump family members into disrepute. In the event of a conviction, the Trump Organization may be subject to paying back taxes and fines, but no individuals will face criminal charges as a result.

“Today Allen Weisselberg admitted in Court that he used his position at the Trump Organization to bilk taxpayers and profit himself,” stated Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Weisselberg’s evidence will be crucial in the future trial against the Trump Organization, and his guilty plea clearly implicates the Trump Organization in a wide spectrum of criminal activities.

Weisselberg will serve time in prison, and that’s thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of the prosecution team. Saying, “We look forward to establishing our case in court against the Trump Organization,” Bragg expressed optimism about the future of the lawsuit.

During his time in prison, Weisselberg will probably be sent to New York City’s notorious Rikers Island. One-third of Weisselberg’s sentence could be reduced for good behavior, reducing his time in prison to around 100 days.

Weisselberg is facing accusations, the most serious of which carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison but none of which have a required minimum sentence.

During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass stated that a state prison sentence was being recommended if Weisselberg did not fulfill all of the duties.

As part of its investigation into whether the Trump Organization and its top executives provided misleading financial statements to obtain loans, insurance, and tax benefits, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced the tax charges last summer, putting pressure on Weisselberg to cooperate against Trump. Prosecutors have said they are continuing their investigation, but no charges have yet been filed.

When it comes to the New York State Attorney’s Office’s criminal inquiry, Weisselberg is not helping out.

The guilty plea comes a week after a New York state judge rejected Weisselberg’s request to dismiss the charge and two months before his trial was scheduled to begin.

A Trump Organization spokesperson has denied any wrongdoing. Trump has claimed that the probes are just political. Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump were not indicted in the tax matter, nor were any other executives.

In connection with an alleged plot dating back to 2005 “to compensate Weisselberg and other Trump Organization officials in a manner that was “off the books,” the Trump Organization was charged with 10 counts and Weisselberg with 15 felony counts.

Insights into decision-making processes within the Trump Organization will be gained through Weisselberg’s testimony, as he is one of the few people who could supply them.

On Thursday, Weisselberg admitted he and Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organization’s longtime controller, had conspired.

According to prior CNN reports, Weisselberg’s subordinate McConney was granted immunity in exchange for his grand jury testimony. In the indictment, he was labeled as a co-conspirator who had not yet been charged.

When Weisselberg pled guilty, Trump was in the midst of a dramatic legal period in which he had just refused to answer hundreds of questions about the Trump Organization’s financial statements in a deposition in the New York attorney general’s civil probe, invoking his Fifth Amendment right.

As part of a criminal investigation into the handling of presidential records, including secret information, the FBI had executed a search warrant on Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago property in Florida two days earlier.