A new report in The New York Times says that longtime Trump ally Allen Weisselberg is negotiating with Manhattan prosecutors over what could become another guilty plea from the former executive at the Trump family business.
Local District Attorney Alvin Bragg is on the other side of the discussions. Bragg also has a pending criminal case against Donald Trump himself over the ex-president’s alleged role in falsifying business records around the handling of hush money doled out years ago to a woman who alleged she and Trump had an affair. As for Weisselberg, the potential guilty plea centers, per the Times, on perjury.
The publication did not offer precise details that it said that they confirmed on the specifics of the potential offense, though they pointed to evident discrepancies in Weisselberg’s trial testimony as part of a state case against Trump and others alleging fraud. Weisselberg tried to comprehensively distance himself from how Trump’s residence at Trump Tower in Manhattan was discussed — including the massive overstatement of its actual size that persisted for years. The news outlet Forbes shared a report tying Weisselberg squarely to such discussions, however.
“If the two sides don’t agree, the district attorney’s office could seek to indict Mr. Weisselberg,” the Times said of negotiations leading to a potential deal.
The suggested perjury would also involve comments that Weisselberg made in discussions off the stand with the team of New York state Attorney General Letitia James. Weisselberg already pleaded guilty once after accusations of involvement in a scheme doling out high-value perks at the Trump business without the accompanying tax obligations fulfilled. That criminal case also named Trump business entities, though not Trump himself. Found guilty, those business entities were slapped with financial penalties. Meanwhile, a final decision from trial Judge Arthur Engoron in James’ fraud case against Trump himself, Weisselberg, and others was still forthcoming as this work week ended. Civil in nature, potential penalties would similarly include fines and restrictions on future business activities.
