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Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was sentenced on Tuesday and said that he regrets hurting former President Donald Trump and his family.
"Mr. Weisselberg also regrets the harm his actions have caused to the Trump Organization and members of the Trump family. He is grateful to them for their continued support throughout this difficult chapter of his life," Weisselberg's attorney, Nicholas Gravante, said in a statement, CNBC reported. "Mr. Weisselberg came to court today ready to begin his sentence, and he is grateful that it has now begun."
The statement came shortly after Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in prison for defrauding New York state and New York City by "evading payment of taxes due on $1.76 million in unreported income," the Manhattan district attorney's office said.
Weisselberg also served as an employee of the Trump Corporation and cooperated with prosecutors after pleading guilty to 15 different charges in August, which included second-degree grand larceny, scheme to defraud in the first degree, and criminal tax fraud in the third and fourth degrees.
According to the Manhattan district attorney's office, in addition to his prison sentence, Weisselberg was also ordered to pay $2 million owed to New York state and New York City in taxes, penalties and interest.
The district attorney's office said that Weisselberg engaged in a scheme to defraud tax authorities in New York to "enrich" himself, as well as other employees of the Trump Corporation.
"Weisselberg admitted that he and other Trump Corporation employees were compensated in a manner so that substantial portions of their income were intentionally unreported or misreported by the companies to the taxing authorities in order to pay less in taxes," the statement said.
During his sentencing, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said that he previously promised a sentence of five months in prison but noted that he would have given a much higher sentence, following the testimony.
"I'm not going to deviate from the promise, though I believe a stiffer sentence is warranted, having heard the evidence," the judge said, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, "In Manhattan, you have to play by the rules no matter who you are or who you work for. Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg used his high-level position to secure lavish work perks such as a rent-free luxury Manhattan apartment, multiple Mercedes Benz automobiles and private school tuition for his grandchildren—all without paying required taxes."
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Trump for comment.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more