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A top executive at former U.S. President Donald Trump's family business pleaded guilty Thursday to evading taxes in a deal with prosecutors that could potentially make him a star witness against the company at a trial this fall.
www.ctvnews.ca
NEW YORK - A top executive at former president Donald Trump's family business pleaded guilty Thursday to evading taxes on a free apartment and other perks, striking a deal with prosecutors that could make him a star witness against the company at a trial this fall.
Allen Weisselberg, a senior Trump Organization adviser and formerly the company's longtime chief financial officer, pleaded guilty to all 15 of the charges he faced in the case.
In a low, somewhat hoarse voice, Weisselberg admitted taking in over $1.7 million worth of untaxed extras – including school tuition for his grandchildren, free rent for a Manhattan apartment and lease payments for a luxury car – and explicitly keeping some of the plums off the books.
The plea bargain also requires Weisselberg to testify truthfully as a prosecution witness when the Trump Organization goes on trial in October on related charges. The company is accused of helping Weisselberg and other executives avoid income taxes by failing to report their full compensation accurately to the government. Trump himself is not charged in the case.
Weisselberg's lawyer Nicholas Gravante Jr. said his client pleaded guilty "to put an end to this case and the years-long legal and personal nightmares it has caused for him and his family."
In a statement, the company accused prosecutors of trying to pressure Weisselberg to cast aspersions on Trump, and of stretching to make a criminal case out of familiar executive perks such as a company car.
The company, which was not involved in Weisselberg's guilty plea Thursday, said it has done nothing wrong, won't plead guilty and looks forward "to having our day in court."
Weisselberg, seen as one of Trump's most loyal business associates, is the only person to face criminal charges so far in the Manhattan district attorney's long-running investigation of the company. Weisselberg started working for the Trump Organization in 1973, when it was run by Trump's father, Fred. Following his July 2021 arrest, the company changed his title from CFO to senior adviser. The CFO position remains vacant.
Weisselberg agreed to plead guilty days after a court hearing where Merchan denied his request to dismiss the charges. The judge rejected the defence's argument that the district attorney's office was punishing Weisselberg because he wouldn't offer information that would damage Trump.