Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg pleads guilty in tax-fraud case

Appearing in a Manhattan courtroom, Weisselberg, 75, acknowledged his part in the scenario outlined by prosecutors — and agreed to testify, if called, at a pending trial for the company. As part of his plea agreement, Weisselberg, Trump’s close and trusted associate for decades, would spend five months in jail, followed by five years of probation.

Weisselberg spoke sparingly during the hearing, answering “yes” to affirm his activities and guilt on every count. His future testimony, however, could prove damaging for the former president’s namesake company, which prosecutors say carried out “a sweeping and audacious illegal payments scheme.”

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Weisselberg’s sentence depends on him “testifying truthfully” at the Trump company’s trial, according to the district attorney’s office.

The plea agreement “directly implicates” the Trump Organization in a “wide range of criminal activity,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

“Furthermore, thanks to the incredibly hard work and dedication of the team prosecuting this case, Weisselberg will spend time behind bars,” Bragg said. “We look forward to proving our case in court against the Trump Organization.”

The former president and those close to him have assailed the case, tying it to the thicket of other investigations and scrutiny that he routinely characterizes as a coordinated “witch hunt” by Democrats who dislike him.

In a statement, his company called Weisselberg “a fine and honorable man who, for the past 4 years, has been harassed, persecuted and threatened by law enforcement, particularly the Manhattan District Attorney, in their never ending, politically motivated quest to get President Trump.”

Weisselberg, the company’s statement said, pleaded guilty “in an effort to put this matter behind him and get on with his life.” The company pledged that the two corporate entities charged alongside Weisselberg would not make any plea deal, denying any wrongdoing, and said “we now look forward to having our day in court.”

Jury selection in the Trump Organization’s trial is scheduled to begin in late October, which the company noted was “just days before the midterm…