(NEW YORK) The former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, a close associate of Donald Trump, pleaded guilty Thursday to fraud and tax evasion and will have to testify during a trial against the company, according to a press release from the Manhattan prosecutor’s office.
Posted at 1:05 pm
Allen Weiselberg pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud and tax evasion involving $1.76 million in unreported income between 2005 and 2021, the statement said.
Courts have accused the 75-year-old prudish man, who has worked for the Trumps since 1973, to have benefited from a number of benefits, notably a high-end Manhattan apartment, renting out two Mercedes to him and his wife, and getting cash for his vacations, hiding everything from tax authorities. .
“Today, Allen Weiselberg admitted in court that he used his position at the Trump Organization to defraud taxpayers and personally enrich himself,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
“The settlement reached with the court directly binds the Trump Organization to a range of criminal activities and will require Mr. Weiselberg to provide valuable testimony in the upcoming trial against the company,” he added.
Allen Weiselberg first pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in July 2021 and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Under the deal, he now faces just five months in prison and must pay nearly $2 million in back taxes with penalties and interest, the press release said.
Allen Weiselberg has so far refused to personally testify against Donald Trump.
The criminal trial against the Trump Organization, in which the company has pleaded not guilty, is set to open on October 24.
Another investigation, this time civil but related to the same suspicions of financial and tax fraud at the Trump Organization, was led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Donald Trump was forced to take the oath of office last week, but refused to answer questions under 5.e An amendment to the US Constitution that allows any litigant to testify against himself.
In another case, Donald Trump’s residence in Florida was raided last week.
FBI investigators suspect the Republican violated the US Espionage Act, which strictly regulates the possession of classified documents related to national security, some of which must be viewed only by contacts or in secure buildings, according to court documents.
The parliamentary committee will also shed light on the billionaire’s role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
