WASHINGTON — Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty Thursday to criminal charges tied to his indictment in a tax fraud case involving the company’s business dealings.
He admitted to multiple counts in the indictment against him, filed last July. The judge said Weisselberg, 75, agreed to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, interest, and penalties and serve five months in jail as part of his guilty plea.
Weisselberg also said he understood that he could face up to 15 years in prison if he doesn’t pay back the taxes or doesn’t testify truthfully at the trial of the Trump Organization this fall.
Weisselberg and the Trump Organization were charged in June 2021 in what prosecutors described as an “off the books” scheme over 15 years to help top officials in the Trump Organization avoid paying taxes. Weisselberg was accused of avoiding paying taxes on $1.7 million of his income.
The Trump Organization faces separate charges, but there is no allegation of criminal wrongdoing against Trump, who has faced long-simmering criminal investigations on multiple fronts that have captured national attention since the FBI’s search of his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, last week.
Other details of the Weisselberg’s plea were not immediately disclosed when NBC News first reported the deal on Monday. There has been no indication that Weisselberg will cooperate in any investigation into Trump personally.