Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, entered into an agreement on Monday with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to plead guilty to two felony counts of perjury.
Weisselberg admitted, according to a publicly filed plea agreement, that he lied multiple times under oath about the Trump Organization, including in a civil fraud trial related to allegations that former President Donald Trump overstated his wealth for years for financial benefit.
Weisselberg has already served time at the Rikers Island jail for his role in a tax fraud scheme and now faces up to five months in prison for the perjury violations. His sentencing is set for April 10.
Weisselberg, according to the plea agreement, gave false testimony in 2020 and 2023 regarding the Trump Organization’s annual statements of financial condition, which were a key point of scrutiny during the civil fraud trial.
At issue during the trial were Trump’s estimated values of some of his most prized assets, including the Trump Tower in Manhattan. The square footage of Trump’s penthouse in the tower had been erroneously documented for years as being three times larger than it actually was, resulting in its value appearing inaccurate on some documents.
In particular, Weisselberg testified at one point that he was not aware of the error, but in his plea agreement, he agreed his sworn testimony on the square footage matter had been false.
Weisselberg’s attorney Seth Rosenberg said in a brief statement that his client “looks forward to putting this situation behind him.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is also preparing for trial at the end of this month against Trump on separate business fraud charges related to a 2016 hush money scheme.
Bragg’s office issued a firm statement in response to securing Weisselberg’s guilty plea, emphasizing that lying under oath is against the law.
“It is a crime to lie in depositions and at trial — plain and simple,” a Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said. “Allen Weisselberg took an oath to be truthful, and then committed perjury both at depositions during the New York State Attorney General’s Investigation and Proceeding, as well as at their recent trial. Today, Allen Weisselberg is pleading guilty to this felony and being held responsible for his conduct.”
The civil fraud case, brought by Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, implicated not just Trump but also Weisselberg and Trump’s two adult sons.
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Judge Arthur Engoron found all of them liable for business fraud and, following a monthslong nonjury trial, ordered Trump in February to pay more than $454 million in damages. Engoron also ordered Weisselberg to pay more than $1 million and permanently banned him from controlling the finances of any company in New York.
Trump has appealed the ruling.
