Former Trump Organization chief pleads guilty

The former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, who is close to Donald Trump, pleaded guilty Thursday to fraud and tax evasion and is required to testify in a trial against the company, according to a press release from the Manhattan attorney’s office.

Alan Weiselberg pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud and tax evasion involving $1.76 million in unreported income between 2005 and 2021.

The brilliant 75-year-old man, who has worked for the Trumps since 1973, has been accused by the courts of receiving benefits, in particular an apartment in an upscale district of Manhattan, renting two Mercedes for him and his wife, and receiving money for his vacations, hiding it all from the tax authorities.

“Today, Alan Weiselberg admitted in court that he used his position in the Trump Organization to defraud taxpayers and personally enrich himself,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

“The settlement reached with the court directly ties the Trump Organization to a wide range of criminal activities and should provide valuable testimony in the upcoming trial against the organization,” he added.

Alan Weiselberg initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in July 2021 and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

According to the deal, he now faces five months in prison and must pay nearly $2 million in back taxes, along with fines and interest, according to the press release.

Alan Weiselberg has so far refused to personally testify against Donald Trump.

A criminal trial against the Trump Organization, in which the company has pleaded not guilty, is set to open on October 24.

Another investigation, this time civil but into the same suspicions of financial and tax fraud in the Trump Organization, is being led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

It was in this context that Donald Trump had to testify under oath last week, although he refused to answer questions under the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits any lawyer from testifying against him.

In another case, Donald Trump’s home in Florida was raided last week.

FBI investigators suspect Republicans violated the US Espionage Act, which strictly regulates the possession of classified documents related to national security, some of which should only be viewed in advisory or secure buildings, according to court documents.

A parliamentary committee is also seeking to shed light on the billionaire’s role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.