Allen Weisselberg, who first met Donald Trump when he started working for his father in the 1970s, carried out a plan to dodge taxes foryears. was indicted in New York on suspicion of doing so, but pleaded guilty Thursday.He was the Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization.
Weisselberg pleaded guilty to all 15 counts, including conspiracy, criminal tax fraud, grand theft, and falsification of business records, and was sentenced to nearly $2 million, including fringe benefits such as rent and a luxury car. Admitted to avoiding taxes on income and grandchildren's private school fees.
The plea concerns former President Trump's family business of the same name, which was indicted under the same indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
} "In one of the most difficult decisions of his life, Mr. Weisselberg is filing his guilty plea today to put an end to this case and the years of legal and personal nightmare it has caused him. Weisselberg's attorney, Nicholas Gravante Jr., said:
Weisselberg repeatedly replied, "Yes, it's your honor," and Juan When Judge Merchan asked a series of questions about his tax evasion scheme, he found: a luxury apartment on Manhattan's Riverside Drive, multiple Mercedes and Benz cars, cash, private school tuition for his grandchildren, and an extra house.
As part of his plea deal, Weisselberg, 75, agreed to five months in prison followed by his five years of supervised release. He also agreed to testify against the Trump Organization when it goes on trial in connection with an alleged compensation scheme beginning in October.
He testified honestly. Failure to do so would void the transaction and Weisselberg could face an additional five to 15 years in prison.
Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Howard Weisselberg York State Supreme Court, Manhattan, New York City, August 18, 2018.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
"You must agree to testify truthfully at the Organization's trial," said Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steingras. You are not required to cooperate with the criminal proceedings against yourself. It focuses on whether the former president deliberately misled tax authorities, lenders and insurance brokers by providing inaccurate financial statements as to their value. of his real estate portfolio.
Weisselberg also has to pay back taxes and fines totaling $1.94 million.
"Today, Allen Weisselberg admitted in court that he used his position in the Trump Organization to charge taxpayers and enrich himself," Manhattan Region Prosecutor Alvin Bragg said. “This plea deal demonstrates the direct involvement of the Trump Organization in a wide range of criminal activities, and Weisselberg will be required to provide valuable testimony in future trials against the company. We look forward to proving our case in court against the Organization.”
The corporate tax fraud case was not what prosecutors were looking for. When they first filed charges against Weisselberg last summer, prosecutors wanted Weisselberg to turn against Trump, sources told ABC News. Allen Weisselberg, a longtime and trusted employee of , is a fine and respectable person who has been harassed, persecuted and threatened by law enforcement, especially in the Manhattan area, for the past four years.Attorney Wins President Trump In a never-ending, politically-motivated quest to do," a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said. "Mr. Weisselberg, who just turned 75, decided that the best course of action for himself and his family was to plead guilty to forget about the problem and move on with his life. No company will accept the petition for the simple reason that they have done nothing wrong.”
Trump announced that as part of a parallel civil investigation by the Office of the New York Attorney General,In a deposition last week, he asserted his Fifth Amendment right to self-incrimination.
"For years, Mr. Weisselberg has broken the law to enrich his own pocket and fund a lavish lifestyle. Today, that wrongdoing has come to an end. Let the plea speak loud and clear: No one is above the law, and we will crack down on those who steal from the public for personal gain," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. said in a statement following Weisselberg's guilty plea on Thursday. The two senior prosecutors who led it resigned when the resigned frustrated that it had not sought immediate indictment. A source said Trump told ABC News.
Bragg's office said the investigation was ongoing.
