Did Allen Weisselberg Finally Flip on Donald Trump?

Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has reportedly made a deal with Manhattan prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to perjury charges related to the testimony he gave in Trump's civil fraud trial.

Weisselberg, a longtime confidant of former President Donald Trump, was seen arriving at the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office early Monday morning.

Although he is expected to plead guilty later in the day, there's no indication as of now that Weisselberg will give prosecutors information on Trump. The former executive has remained loyal to Trump despite intense pressure to turn on his old boss in the past.

In 2022, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud and agreed to testify in the trial of two Trump Organization entities, which were later convicted and fined. While he laid out how he personally helped the company evade taxes, he took care not to implicate Trump, telling jurors his boss had been unaware, a move that frustrated prosecutors.

Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail but released from Rikers Island after serving about 100 days with time off for good behavior. He is still on probation.

Allen Weissleberg Guilty Plea
Former Trump Organization Executive Allen Weisselberg at the Manhattan Criminal Court on January 10, 2023. He is expected to plead guilty to perjury on Monday. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The deal with Bragg comes weeks before the former president will stand trial on unrelated criminal charges stemming from the hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels in 2016. Weisselberg is not expected to enter into an agreement that would require his testimony at any future trial. The Manhattan criminal trial is scheduled to begin March 25.

Monday's expected plea deal comes amid reports that Weisselberg would plead guilty to perjury for allegedly lying on the stand when he was grilled about financial statements during Trump's civil fraud trial last year.

Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over the trial, had previously asked attorneys for both the state and Trump to provide a response to a New York Times report revealing the plea deal. The judge asked both sides whether he should factor in a possible agreement to his decision determining the amount Trump would have to pay for inflating his assets and net worth.

Engoron said that because Weisselberg allegedly lied about the size of the Trump Tower penthouse, he could use that to call into question everything the former chief financial officer said in defense of his employer, using it as basis to invoke the legal principle, "false in one thing, false in everything."

Cliff Robert, an attorney for the Trump family and properties, slammed Engoron's request as "unprecedented, inappropriate and troubling."

Engoron ordered Trump to pay a penalty of nearly $355 million plus interest last month. Trump is appealing the judgment.

Update 03/04/24, 10:09 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.

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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more

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