Manhattan DA may once again charge former Trump Organization CFO

By 
 May 20, 2023

In a bombshell development, The New York Times has reported that a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump may face criminal charges. 

The paper cited "people with knowledge of the matter" as saying that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is weighing whether to go after Allen H. Weisselberg.

Weisselberg previously pleaded guilty to tax violations

Fox News reported last August that Weisselberg, who previously served as CFO of the Trump Organization, pleaded guilty to tax violations.

While the 75-year-old Weisselberg has just completed his sentence at the Rikers Island jail complex, the Times pointed out that his "legal troubles are far from over" as Bragg may indict him for perjury.

The charge would stem from a 2020 interview that Weisselberg gave to New York Attorney General Letitia James' civil investigation into Trump's business practices.

Yet as the Times noted, "It is not clear which part of his testimony raised red flags for prosecutors and Ms. James, or how Mr. Bragg might prove that Mr. Weisselberg intentionally made a false statement."

Bragg seeking to flip Weisselberg in Trump case

Such a move would be part of a larger strategy to get Weisselberg to provide incriminating information about the former president.

Bragg is currently prosecuting Trump for allegedly falsifying business records in order to conceal a 2016 payoff to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The suggestion that Weisselberg could be put on trial again was slammed by some legal experts, including criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Daniel J. Horwitz.

"The guy has already been prosecuted and served his time, and he’s 75 years old. Most defense lawyers are going to scratch their heads and say, 'Is this fair?'" Horwitz was quoted as saying.

MSNBC legal blogger expresses doubts about Trump case

New York University School of Law legal ethics professor Stephen Gillers disagreed, stating, "There would be nothing improper about charging Mr. Weisselberg a second time with different crimes."

Meanwhile, even some mainstream media observers have suggested Bragg's case against Trump is weak. They include MSNBC legal blog writer Jordan Rubin, who wrote this week that it is unclear whether "this case even goes to trial."

Rubin pointed to how "prosecutors need to show that the defendant falsified records 'when his intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.'"

Yet Bragg has thus far not specified exactly who or what Trump attempted to defraud via the alleged falsification.

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