Former Trump Organization Chief Financial officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail and five years of probation in Manhattan state court Tuesday after pleading guilty to tax fraud scheme, multiple news outlets reported.
The court also ordered Weisselberg to repay around $2 million in taxes he owed as part of the agreement.
The sentence ends a three-month trial at which Weisselberg, once chief financial officer for the real estate firm founded by former President Donald Trump, became the star witness in a separate case against the Trump Org.
Before sentencing, Weisselberg’s lawyer appealed to the judge for leniency, citing his client’s age, his cooperation with prosecutors, and the publicity around the trial.
But Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said that were it not for the plea deal the 75-year-old had struck, he would have imposed a harsher punishment.
“I believe that a stiffer sentence would be appropriate, having heard the evidence,” Merchan said Tuesday, citing what he referred to as the greed behind Weisselberg’s actions.
The sentencing ends a three-month trial, at which the once chief financial officer for the real estate firm founded by former President Donald Trump became the star witness in a separate case against the Trump Org.
