The former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, is expected to plead guilty Monday to perjury charges over testimony he provided to New York Attorney General Letitia James during her investigation into the finances of former President Donald Trump’s real estate company.
Mr. Weisselberg’s plea is not expected to implicate Mr. Trump in wrongdoing, nor is he expected to testify in an upcoming criminal that focuses on hush money payments the GOP presidential front-runner allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels and two others in 2016, according to CNN and The New York Times.
However, the plea is another setback for Mr. Weisselberg, a loyal longtime employee in the Trump Organization, and it would underscore the dangers of lying to prosecutors as District Attorney Alvin Bragg presents evidence to a jury later this month in the hush money case.
Mr. Weisselberg previously spent 100 days at the Rikers Island jail after pleading guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud in a trial of two Trump Organization entities that resulted in a conviction and fine.
Separately, a civil court judge found Mr. Weisselberg liable on fraud claims and fined him $1 million as part of a broader judgment against Mr. Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization that, with interest, totaled about $450 million, a judgment the company has appealed.
It is unclear which of Mr. Weisselberg’s statements led to the perjury charge.
Prosecutors scrutinized Mr. Weisselberg’s testimony in the recent civil case against Mr. Trump because the ex-CFO said he “never focused” on the size of Mr. Trump’s penthouse in Trump Tower, which prosecutors said was listed at nearly three times its actual size in financial statements, greatly inflating its market value.
Forbes magazine, however, said Mr. Weisselberg had tried to convince the magazine that the apartment was as big as the financial statements stated, indicating he had considered the matter previously.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.