Another blow for Trump! Manager sentenced to 5 months in prison for smuggling
At the New York hearing, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Weisselberg to five months in prison for his role in tax fraud that spanned more than 10 years at the Trump company.
Judge Merchan drew attention to Weisselberg’s agreement to testify in exchange for a five-month prison sentence with prosecutors before the trial began, saying: “If this agreement had not existed, I would have handed down a much harsher sentence. than the evidence revealed during the trial. proof.” He used the phrase.
Weisselberg, 75, who has worked for the Trump company since the 1970s, was handcuffed after the trial and taken to New York’s Riker Island prison to serve his sentence.
Forensic experts say Weisselberg’s sentence could be reduced by a third for good behavior, and he could spend up to 100 days behind bars.
Weisselberg will also remain under free supervision for 5 years after his prison sentence ends.
It was rumored that Weisselberg could face up to 15 years in prison if the defense did not reach a plea bargain with prosecutors.
On August 15, 2022, Weisselberg agreed with prosecutors that he would be sentenced to 5 months in prison and approximately $1.7 million in taxes for giving correct testimony during trial.
TRUMP COMPANY TAX EVIDENCE CASE
Since 2018, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance has launched an investigation into Trump’s business practices, unrecorded bonuses, possible property valuation fraud and tax payment irregularities.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office formed a jury to decide whether to file a criminal case based on the evidence collected in the framework of the investigation, which lasted more than 2 years.
Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, among those charged, initially refused to cooperate with prosecutors against Donald Trump, but later admitted his role in tax evasion at the Trump Organization as part of a plea deal he accepted.
At the end of the trial in New York Federal Court, which began on October 31, the jury found the Trump Organization guilty on all 17 counts of tax evasion on December 7, 2022.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who led the case, said in a post on his Twitter account: “This decision, which includes charges of conspiracy, criminal tax fraud, and falsifying business records, as well as being involved in a 15 year fraud. scheme, marks the first criminal conviction of former President Trump’s companies.” he had used the words.
Trump said in a statement that he was “disappointed with the decision and will appeal.” (AA)