Allen Weisselberg, a retired executive of Donald Trump's real estate empire, was sentenced this Wednesday to five months in prison for lie under oath during his testimony in the civil fraud lawsuit against the former president in New York.
Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of perjury in connection with the lawsuit. He admitted to lying when he testified that he had little knowledge of how Trump's Manhattan penthouse came to be valued on his financial statements at nearly three times its actual price.
Weisselberg, wearing a black windbreaker and a surgical mask, declined to address the court during the brief sentencing, which lasted less than five minutes. He was quickly escorted out of the courthouse, handcuffed, to begin his sentence.
This will be Weisselberg's second time behind bars. The former Trump Organization chief financial officer spent 100 days in prison last year for evading taxes on $1.7 million in company fringe profits, including a Manhattan apartment where he paid no rent, as well as luxury cars.
Now, he once again exchanges his life as a retiree in Florida for a stay in the famous Rikers Island prison complex in New York City.
Both cases highlight Weisselberg's unwavering loyalty to Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.
Trump's family employed Weisselberg for nearly 50 years, then gave him a $2 million severance package when tax allegations led him to retire. The company continues to pay his legal fees.
Weisselberg testified twice in trials that went badly for Trump, but always took pains to imply that his boss had committed no serious crimes. His plea deal does not require him to testify in Trump's criminal trial for alleged bribery, which is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection.
In reaching a deal for a five-month sentence, prosecutors cited Weisselberg's age and his willingness to admit to crimes. In New York, perjury is a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. Prosecutors promised not to prosecute Weisselberg for other crimes he may have committed in connection with his employment with the Trump Organization.
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