Allen Weisselberg, formerly the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was yesterday sentenced to 5 months in jail for his part in the company’s tax avoidance and fraud schemes. Weisselberg snitched on himself and the company to get a sweet deal for more than a dozen felony charges covering many years of misconduct—Trump himself was not on trial and did not testify. Weisselberg will not have to serve his sentence in the general population, either, but will instead while away the weeks in the prison infirmary.
Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday said had he not already promised a five-month sentence to Weisselberg, he would have issued a stiffer sentence “much greater” than five months after listening to evidence at trial.
Without a deal, Weisselberg faced a sentence as long as five to 15 years in prison. With credit given for good behavior, one-third of Weisselberg’s sentence could be knocked off, meaning he could end up serving about 100 days behind bars.
Merchan found Weisselberg’s fabrication of a fraudulent $6,000 payroll check cut to his wife so she could become eligible for Social Security benefits to be the most “offensive” of the crimes the judge said were driven by the Trump Org. executive’s greed.
Once again, so it sinks in:
Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday said had he not already promised a five-month sentence to Weisselberg, he would have issued a stiffer sentence “much greater” than five months after listening to evidence at trial.
One can almost hear the gentle clatter of flatware and the distant thwack of golf balls as the decisions are made.
