Allen Weisselberg, a former executive in Donald Trump's real estate empire, is set to be sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath in Trump's New York civil fraud case. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury, admitting to lying about the valuation of Trump's Manhattan penthouse on financial statements. This will be his second time behind bars, as he previously served 100 days for tax evasion. Despite testifying against Trump in trials, Weisselberg's plea agreement does not require him to testify in Trump's upcoming hush money criminal trial.
Allen Weisselberg, former CFO of the Trump Organization, is set to plead guilty to perjury for lying during Donald Trump's civil fraud trial. This will be Weisselberg's second criminal conviction and he is expected to face potential prosecution for misleading investigators in the New York fraud investigation. Weisselberg will not implicate Trump and is unlikely to testify at Trump's trial over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. The plea relates to testimony given in civil investigations into the company's finances, with details of the charges unclear.
Manhattan prosecutors are considering whether to charge Allen Weisselberg, former CFO of the Trump Organization, with perjury in connection with his testimony in a civil fraud trial. Weisselberg testified for two days in the trial, answering questions about allegations that Donald Trump lied about his wealth on financial statements. Prosecutors are reviewing Weisselberg's testimony to determine if he made false statements under oath. A potential perjury charge would be separate from the criminal case brought against Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Weisselberg served time in jail last year for tax evasion and is currently on probation.
Allen Howard Weisselberg (born August 15, 1947) is an American businessman and convicted felon who was the chief financial officer (CFO) of the Trump Organization. Weisselberg served as a co-trustee of a trust set up in 2017 by Donald Trump before Trump's inauguration as president of the United States. In 2022, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 criminal charges including grand larceny, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. In January 2023, he began serving a five-month jail sentence and was released the following April. A ruling which was handed down in February 2024 also resulted in Weisselberg being permanently banned from serving in financial control function of any New York corporation or business, and also banned him from being serving as a director or officer for any New York corporation or business for three years.
Lawyers in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial stated that they had no information regarding Allen Weisselberg's reported negotiations to plead guilty to perjury in connection with his testimony. The New York Times reported that Weisselberg was in negotiations with the Manhattan district attorney's office to admit that he lied on the witness stand during the trial. New York state lawyers and defense counsel did not have any knowledge of the situation and were not involved in Weisselberg's reported negotiations. The judge is considering whether to disregard Weisselberg's testimony in the verdict.
By 2020, the Manhattan district attorney (DA) had opened a criminal case to determine whether The Trump Organization had committed financial fraud. In December 2022, two of the organization's subsidiary companies were found guilty of 17 charges including tax fraud. On March 30, 2023, Donald Trump was criminally indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in tandem with an alleged catch and kill operation to suppress negative press during his 2016 campaign, largely revolving around the hush-money payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels. Trump is the first former U.S. president to be criminally charged. On April 4, he pleaded not guilty. Further proceedings took place over subsequent months, with a trial scheduled for March 25, 2024.The organization ceased a number of illegal practices around the time of Trump's election as U.S. president, some of which had reputedly been executed since the 1980s. Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. reportedly began scrutinizing the company in 2018 related to Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen's hush-money payment to Daniels. By mid-2021, New York State Attorney General Letitia James had joined the DA's criminal inquiry, with the latter convening a grand jury. Prosecutors filed 10 charges against the organization, alleging that it had conducted a 15-year "scheme to defraud" the government, and 15 felony counts against longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who agreed to a plea deal in August 2022—during Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's tenure. After the organization's conviction, the DA returned to the hush-money scandal as part of its larger probe.Evidence against the organization indicates that Weisselberg and other executives—as well as the two subsidiaries—participated in fraudulent schemes, including recording some employee bonuses as pay for contract work. Trump family members allegedly intended no wrongdoing despite signing relevant checks.Some conservative pundits denounced the investigation, with the Republican National Committee paying some of Trump's legal fees, while Democrats generally endorsed it. After Trump's indictment, Republican U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan organized a hearing against Bragg, leading the DA to sue him for alleged interference.
The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump is a pending criminal case against Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. On March 30, 2023, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for his alleged role in a scandal relating to hush money payments made to the pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, making him the first U.S. president to be indicted. Trump faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree, carrying a maximum sentence of 136 years if Trump is convicted on all counts.Trump traveled from his residence in Florida to New York City on April 3, 2023 where he surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney's office on the afternoon of April 4. After his arraignment, he immediately returned to Florida. The trial was set for March 25, 2024.Throughout the investigation that led to the indictment, Trump accused district attorney Alvin Bragg—the case's prosecutor—of having political motivations. Months before he was indicted, Trump declared that he would run in the 2024 presidential election; neither the indictment nor any resulting conviction would disqualify his candidacy.
Former Trump aide Hope Hicks is set to testify for the prosecution in Trump's New York hush money trial, involving falsified business records to cover up payments made to hide an affair during his 2016 campaign. Hicks, who denies prior knowledge of payments, is believed to have been involved in negotiating a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump faces multiple criminal cases and has labelled the charges as political, pleading not guilty. His former attorney, Michael Cohen, is cooperating with prosecutors. The trial is scheduled for April 15, with Daniels expected to testify.
Judge Juan Merchan in New York blocks Donald Trump's legal team from forcing NBC to hand over materials related to a recent documentary about Stormy Daniels. The ruling, just before the April 15 trial, pertains to 34 felony counts against Trump for alleged falsifying of business records for hush money payments. The judge called the subpoena a 'fishing expedition' lacking legal merit. Trump, facing multiple criminal cases, allegedly concealed hush money payments through his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Stormy Daniels, central to the case, is expected to serve as a key witness despite defense attempts to delay the trial pending Supreme Court rulings on presidential immunity claims.
New York v. Trump is a civil investigation and lawsuit by the office of the New York Attorney General (AG) alleging that The Trump Organization and several individuals (including operative members of the Trump family) engaged in financial fraud by presenting vastly disparate property values to potential lenders and tax officials, in violation of New York Executive Law § 63(12). A trial took place from October 2023 to January 2024. As a result of the trial, the presiding judge Arthur Engoron ordered the defendants to disgorge a total of US$364 million of ill-gotten gains, among other penalties.AG Letitia James began investigating the organization in early 2019, with public litigation beginning in August 2020 to support her subpoenas in the inquiry. In February 2022, Engoron ruled in favor of James's subpoenas, and that April, Donald Trump was found in contempt of court for not complying with them and Trump was fined $110,000.In September 2022, the AG sued Donald, his three oldest children (Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric), former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, former controller Jeffrey McConney, and ten related companies. That November, Engoron appointed retired judge Barbara S. Jones to monitor the organization regarding potential future fraud. In 2023, Ivanka was released as a defendant due to an expired statute of limitations.In September 2023, Engoron issued a summary judgment that Trump and his company had committed fraud for years. The judge ordered the termination of the defendants' state business licenses and the dissolution of pertinent limited liability companies (pending appeal). The trial covered six additional claims by the AG and considered further penalties. In October, a gag order was placed on Trump, forbidding him from publicly disparaging court staff; the judge fined Trump $5,000 and $10,000 for two violations of the order that same month. The defense unsuccessfully sought to dismiss the case, as well as related subpoenas and rulings.In February 2024, Engoron concluded that the "defendants failed to accept responsibility or to impose internal controls to prevent future recurrences" of having "submitted blatantly false financial data" to "borrow more and at lower rates". Engoron assessed Donald Trump and his companies $354 million of disgorgement of ill-gotten gains (not including interest), while Eric and Donald Jr. were assessed $4 million each, and Weisselberg $1 million. These four and McConney were also banned from leading New York organizations from two to three years; Weisselberg and McConney were also permanently banned from having any financial control in such organizations. The provisions of the judgement are under appeal.
Fox News host Sean Hannity discusses the far-fetched and convoluted fraud case against former President Donald Trump. Fox News host Sean Hannity breaks down what former President Donald Trump's New York civil court case means for the U.S. legal system. TRUMP'S $454M JUDGMENT BOND SLASHED BY MORE THAN HALF IN APPEALS COURT RULING SEAN HANNITY: But tonight, I've got to begin with a plea.
In the trial involving former President Donald Trump's alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, Trump's lawyers mistakenly subpoenaed a Brooklyn man named Jeremy Rosenberg instead of the intended Manhattan investigator. Rosenberg humorously responded that he had no files to provide and kept the $15 sent for mailing documents. The prosecutor confirmed the error and stated that the wrong person had been served. The trial, facing Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, is set for jury selection on April 15.
Donald Trump Jr. took the stand in his fathers civil fraud trial as the defense began presenting their case. The trial, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges that the Trump Organization inflated its net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements. Trump Jr. and his siblings have denied involvement in preparing the statements and claim to have relied on accountants. The defense argues that any errors in the statements were nonmaterial. The trial is seeking at least $250 million in damages and restrictions on the Trumps involvement in New Yorks real estate industry.
A New York Appeals Court has denied former President Trump's request to delay his trial on charges related to hush-money payments, despite his concerns about prejudicial pretrial publicity. Trump's motion to change the trial venue and for the judge's recusal were also denied. The trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on April 15th.
A federal judge has ruled to keep potential witnesses' names secret in the classified documents case against Donald Trump to protect them from potential risks. Special counsel Jack Smith's office argued successfully for redactions, ensuring witness details remain confidential at this juncture. The judge's decision allows more case records to be made public, with witnesses referred to by pseudonyms. While witness statements may be included in public filings, revealing names is prohibited to prevent harassment. The potential witnesses include low-level workers from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
During and after his term as President of the United States, Donald Trump made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims. The Washington Post's fact-checkers documented 30,573 false or misleading claims during his presidential term, an average of about 21 per day. The Toronto Star tallied 5,276 false claims from January 2017 to June 2019, an average of 6.1 per day. Commentators and fact-checkers have described the scale of Trump's mendacity as "unprecedented" in American politics, and the consistency of falsehoods a distinctive part of his business and political identities. Scholarly analysis of Trump's tweets found "significant evidence" of an intent to deceive.By June 2019, after initially resisting, many news organizations began to describe some of his falsehoods as "lies". The Washington Post said his frequent repetition of claims he knew to be false amounted to a campaign based on disinformation. Trump campaign CEO and presidency chief strategist Steve Bannon said that the press, rather than Democrats, was Trump's primary adversary and "the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit."As part of their attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Trump and his allies repeatedly falsely claimed there had been massive election fraud and that Trump had won the election. Their effort was characterized by some as an implementation of the big lie propaganda technique.On June 8, 2023, a grand jury indicted Trump on one count of making "false statements and representations", specifically by hiding subpoenaed classified documents from his own attorney who was trying to find and return them to the government. In August 2023, 21 of Trump's falsehoods about the 2020 election were listed in his Washington, D.C. indictment, while 27 were listed in his Georgia indictment.
Aimee Harris, who stole Ashley Biden's diary and sold it to Project Veritas, received a one-month prison sentence and three months of home confinement after pleading guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen property. The court ordered her to forfeit $20,000 received for the diary. Harris and co-defendant Robert Kurlander tried to sell the diary to Donald Trump's campaign before approaching Project Veritas. FBI agents searched Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe's home as part of the investigation, but O'Keefe and Project Veritas were not charged. The diary, allegedly detailing Ms. Biden's substance addiction recovery, was not published by Project Veritas.
Trump Tower is a 58-story, 664-foot-tall (202 m) mixed-use condominium skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well as the penthouse residence of its developer, the businessman and former U.S. president Donald Trump. Several members of the Trump family also live, or have lived, in the building. The tower stands on a plot where the flagship store of the department-store chain Bonwit Teller was formerly located.Der Scutt of Swanke Hayden Connell Architects designed Trump Tower, and Trump and the Equitable Life Assurance Company (now the AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company) developed it. Although it is in one of Midtown Manhattan's special zoning districts, the tower was approved because it was to be built as a mixed-use development. Trump was permitted to add more stories to the tower in return for additional retail space and for providing privately owned public space on the ground floor, the lower level, and two outdoor terraces. There were controversies during construction, including the destruction of historically important sculptures from the Bonwit Teller store; Trump's alleged underpaying of contractors; and a lawsuit that Trump filed because the tower was not tax-exempt.Construction on the building began in 1979. The atrium, apartments, offices, and stores opened on a staggered schedule from February to November 1983. At first, there were few tenants willing to move into the commercial and retail spaces; the residential units were sold out within months of opening. After Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent election, the tower saw large increases in visitation, though security concerns required the area around the tower to be patrolled for several years.
On August 24, 2023, after being indicted on racketeering and related charges, Donald Trump, former president of the United States, voluntarily surrendered himself to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, where a mug shot of him was taken. In the photograph, Trump, wearing a blue suit with a white shirt and a red tie, glowers at the camera in front of a gray backdrop. His face is lit from the side and from above. It is the first and only police booking photograph of a U.S. president. After its publishing, the mug shot was used on merchandise by Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, in Internet memes, and featured on various media reports worldwide.
Former President Donald Trump's legal team has filed a notice of appeal in his Manhattan criminal case, challenging the gag order and venue for the trial, with plans to sue the judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, in an effort to delay the trial set to begin on April 15.
State Judge Juan Merchan approved a 42-question jury questionnaire for the upcoming trial involving former President Donald Trump's hush money case in New York. The questionnaire does not inquire about party affiliation, political contributions, or voting history. Merchan emphasized that knowing prospective jurors' feelings towards Trump is irrelevant to jury selection, as the focus should be on their ability to remain impartial and base decisions on evidence and law. Trump's attorneys had argued for questions regarding political affiliations, but Merchan disagreed, stating such inquiries are not pertinent to jurors' qualifications.
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