Former Trump executive Allen Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months in jail for lying

Former Trump executive Allen Weisselberg sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath, facing second prison stint.

Allen Weisselberg, a former executive in Donald Trump's real estate empire, was sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath during his testimony in a civil fraud lawsuit brought against the former president by New York's attorney general. This marks Weisselberg's second time behind bars, as he previously served 100 days for tax evasion related to company perks. Despite being escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Weisselberg did not address the court during the sentencing.

Weisselberg's plea agreement includes a promise from the Manhattan District Attorney's office not to prosecute him for any other crimes related to his employment at the Trump Organization. This agreement also exempts him from testifying at Trump's upcoming hush money trial. His attorney, Seth Rosenberg, stated that Weisselberg looks forward to the end of this ordeal and returning to his family and retirement.

Prosecutors cited Weisselberg's age and admission of wrongdoing in agreeing to a five-month sentence. Trump's lawyers criticized the perjury prosecution, accusing the district attorney's office of targeting an innocent man while ignoring perjury allegations against Michael Cohen, a key witness in the hush money case. Weisselberg admitted to lying under oath while testifying in the lawsuit against Trump, specifically regarding the size of Trump's Manhattan penthouse on financial statements.

The civil fraud trial concluded with a ruling that Trump and his executives had deceived banks, insurers, and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements. Trump was penalized $455 million, while Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million. Judge Arthur Engoron described Weisselberg's testimony as evasive and unreliable. Despite his jail sentence, Weisselberg is likely to play a role in Trump's hush money trial, where he is accused of falsifying records to conceal payments during his 2016 campaign. Cohen has implicated Weisselberg in orchestrating the payments, though he has not been charged in that case.

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