Trump’s former director received 5 months in prison
2023.01.10 15:05
Trump’s former director received 5 months in prison
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – In the criminal trial of the former president’s real estate company, Allen Weisselberg, a longtime Trump executive who was the main prosecution witness, was given a sentence of five months in prison on Tuesday for assisting in the design of a 15-year tax fraud scheme at the Trump Organization.
It is anticipated that Weisselberg, 75, will be sent to the notorious Rikers Island jail in New York. In August, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization entered a guilty plea, admitting that, between 2005 and 2017, he and other executives received bonuses and other perks that saved both the company and them money.
Justice Juan Merchan, who oversaw the Trump Organization’s trial and found it guilty on all counts in December, handed down the sentence in a Manhattan New York state court. Weisselberg is still receiving paid leave from the Trump Organization, even though he is no longer CFO.
At his sentencing, Weisselberg wore a blue North Face jacket and a North Face jacket. Once he arrives at the jail, he will likely receive a uniform and sneakers with Velcro straps.
As part of his sentence, Weisselberg has also paid approximately $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest. He is likely to spend 100 days in jail, with time off for good behavior.
Weisselberg’s time in a facility known for violence, drugs, and corruption will probably not be easy. Last year, 19 inmates died there.
Craig Rothfeld, a prison consultant who was assisting Weisselberg in preparing for detention, stated, “You’re going into a byzantine black hole.”
Rikers Island, which is located between the New York City boroughs of Queens and the Bronx and houses more than 5,900 inmates, is the destination of many New York City convicts who face a minimum of one year in prison.
As part of an 18-month sentence for defrauding investors and tax authorities at a company he once led, Rothfeld spent more than five weeks at Rikers in 2015 and 2016. He now runs Inside Outside Ltd., a company that helps people who are about to be locked up. Harvey Weinstein, a former Hollywood movie producer who has been found guilty of rape twice, is another client.
Rothfeld stated that he hopes Weisselberg will not be placed in a dorm with inmates who may not know him but will know his boss, who is running for president in 2024, and will be separated from the general population.
Rothfeld stated, “Certainly Mr. Weisselberg’s fifty years of relationship with the former president is on all our minds.”
“To create a safe and supportive environment for everyone who enters our custody,” stated a spokesman for the city’s Department of Correction.
In 2027, Rikers is expected to close.
Weisselberg testified that Trump did not participate in the tax fraud scheme, but he did sign checks for bonuses and tuition, among other documents that are at the heart of the prosecution’s case. In November, he testified that the company was paying his lawyers and that he hoped to receive a $500,000 bonus this month.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, attended Weisselberg’s sentencing and is currently conducting an investigation into his business practices.
On Friday, Merchan is also scheduled to sentence the Trump Organization. The maximum penalty is $1.6 million.
Weisselberg is still a defendant in the $250 million civil lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, in which she claims that Trump and his company inflated asset values and Trump’s net worth.
According to Rothfeld, he advised Weisselberg not to engage in conversation with other inmates and not to leave Rikers because of the possibility of violence in courtyards.
Rothfeld stated, “The goal is to keep to yourself.”
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