The former CFO of the real estate group of former US President Donald Trump (76) has been sentenced to five months in prison for tax fraud, among other things. The verdict for Allen Weisselberg (75), who had already pleaded guilty last summer, was officially announced on Tuesday in New York by Manhattan’s chief prosecutor Alvin Bragg (49). “In Manhattan, you have to play by the rules no matter who you work for,” Bragg said.
Weisselberg had testified earlier in the trial that he and other employees had systematically defrauded the tax authorities for years. Monetary benefits such as luxury cars and expensive apartments were not taxed.
A lighter sentence thanks to a confession
With his confession, Weisselberg escaped a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years. In addition to the prison sentence, Weisselberg received an additional five years of probation and had to pay a total of nearly $2 million in taxes and fines owed.
During the trial in December, ex-President Trump’s complex real estate construction was also found guilty. Trump was not personally accused. But it was his group’s first criminal conviction. The Trump Organization and another accused company in the group could be fined up to $1.7 million. The company’s lawyers said they would appeal. (SDA)