Allen Weisselberg, the former longtime Trump family business executive who admitted to 15 felony offenses centering on a scheme to dole out and conceal high-dollar benefits for executives including himself, was sentenced on Tuesday to five months in prison, a stint he was set to begin serving — on Rikers Island — immediately.
Two Trump business entities also went on trial in relation to the scheme and were found guilty on all charges. As part of his plea agreement, Weisselberg was required to testify honestly at the Trump company trial and pay nearly $2 million he owed various authorities, and he’s now done both. A source also told CNN that Weisselberg is no longer an employee of any sort at the Trump Organization, adding to the outlet that the departure was supposedly on good terms and involved a severance package for the now former top Trump executive. Reports note Weisselberg could end up serving about 100 days in jail should he receive potential time off his sentence for good behavior.
The high-dollar Trump company benefits tied to Weisselberg include apartment space in Manhattan, lease payments for two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and tuition payments for his grandchildren. The five months in prison Weisselberg received according to the terms of his plea agreement constituted a much shorter prison sentence than the up to 15 years he faced without a deal, and New York Judge Juan Merchan said he would have been inclined to impose a longer sentence in response to evidence raised at the trial of the Trump company. The judge specifically noted Weisselberg fabricated a payroll check for his wife so she could obtain federal Social Security benefits.
The now former executive’s lawyer had asked for a sentence even shorter than the five months to which involved parties previously agreed. Weisselberg originally admitted to the charges against him not long after failing in a final bid to dismiss the charges before a trial. CNN has previously reported that the criminal case against the Trump company rested on whether prosecutors could conclusively show those involved in evading taxes on these pricey benefits were a ““high managerial agent” who committed the crimes in the scope of [their] employment and “in behalf of” the company.” The judge’s description outlined that these parameters meant the disputed acts needed to be targeted for the company’s interest, no matter if it received benefits. Here, the Trump company did benefit through avoiding payroll taxes.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which was behind the case against Weisselberg and the Trump business entities, is continuing its underlying investigation, which could more directly implicate Trump in the future. Elsewhere, Weisselberg is among the defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by New York state Attorney General Letitia James over an allegedly years-long pattern of financial misconduct at the Trump Organization. A different New York judge recently rejected a series of motions to dismiss that case, including from Trump himself.
