Trump Finance Chief Allen Weisselberg Gets 5 Months In Prison

Allen H. Weisselberg, longtime top-level executive for the Trump Organization, has been sentenced to five months in prison at Rikers Island for his role in a tax fraud scheme. He received the lenient sentence after cooperating with prosecutors in the investigation that led to the conviction of the Trump Organization last year. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1612903825240719360 From the New York Times:

A state court judge handed down the sentence after Mr. Weisselberg, 75, who worked for the Trump family for the past half-century, testified as the prosecution’s star witness at the trial of the company.

Mr. Weisselberg, its former chief financial officer, had been facing years in prison. Under a plea deal, he agreed to testify in exchange for a punishment that, with good behavior, might last no more than 100 days.

The judge, Juan Merchan, rejected the defense’s request for a lighter sentence. “The entire case was driven by greed,” Justice Merchan said.

Weisselberg arrived here after pleading guilty to scheming to defraud, grand larceny, conspiracy and tax fraud. Those charges came in regard to years of off-the-books perks for which he paid no taxes. Those perks included a leased Mercedes-Benzes, an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and private school tuition for his grandchildren. Related: Trump Executive Pleads Guilty To 15 Years Of Tax Fraud While his testimony helped convict the Trump Organization, Weisselberg has refused to turn on the Donald himself. That decision has proved to be financially beneficial as he has been on paid leave since his arrest. And he was paid his annual bonus from the Trump Organization for last year. Read more at the New York Times. https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1612899879973527559 https://twitter.com/elizaorlins/status/1612750439086452736 https://twitter.com/QasimRashid/status/1612844428946702341