New York, USA

Allen Weisselberg, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Trump Organization, was sentenced to five months in jail on Wednesday (Apr 10) after he pleaded guilty last month to lying to investigators and a judge about ex-US president Donald Trump’s finances.

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Judge Laurie Peterson issued the ruling in a Manhattan criminal court, in line with the March 4 hearing where she said she would punish Weisselberg.

Following the judgment, court staff led the ex-CFO out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Second time in jail

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This will be Weisselberg’s second stint behind the bars. The Trump loyalist, 76, earlier spent three months in New York's Rikers Island jail for allegedly participating in a 15-year tax fraud scheme at the Trump Organization.

Weisselberg’s case is related to Trump’s civil fraud case, brought by New York state Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump's 2015 and 2016 financial statements valued the Trump's Manhattan townhouse at $327 million based on its stated size of more than 30,000 square feet, nearly three times the actual size.

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During a testimony, Weisselberg on October 10 had claimed that he had nothing to do with the incorrect valuation of the unit.

False testimonies

However, as per claims by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, the ex-CFO’s emails suggested otherwise, that he was indeed paying close attention.

The loyalist also admitted to having lied about Trump’s financial statements during two earlier depositions with James' office.

In 2020, he falsely claimed that he “didn’t find out about the error” in the penthouse size until the media pointed it out.

The civil fraud case culminated in a $454 million penalty imposed on Trump. The judge also imposed a fine worth $1.1 million, including interest, on the former executive.

The charges that Weisselberg pleaded guilty to were centred around the false testimonies that he gave back in 2020. The charges related to the last year’s testimonies were dropped as part of his plea deal.

(With inputs from agencies)