Washington DC, United States: The former Finance Chief Officer (FCO) of the former President of the US – Donald Trump – Allen Weisselberg, has returned to testify in the civil trial in the fraud lawsuit of New York Attorney General Letitia James. It is known that the lawsuit was filed against Donald Trump and his company – the Trump Organisation.
Weisselberg returned after a recent jail stint for tax fraud. According to the report by AP, Trump’s finance chief has assisted the former President with his real estate empire, which was under existential threat.
He will be present to testify about his role in making the yearly financial statements of the former POTUS. Weisselberg will also explain his role in finalizing the documents, which were given to banks and insurers to secure loans and make deals.
It is to be noted that the lawsuit by James alleges the ex-financial chief of Trump for making the financial statements with increased net worth.
As per AP, Trump will not be returning to the court during this testifying session of his former chief financial officer. However, it is to be noted that last week, he attended the first three sessions of the non-jury trial.
Following this, on Friday, Trump’s appeal was rejected by the court as he asked to halt the trial.
Reports have suggested that the ex- financial chief officer has laid low since he has left the New York City jail. Weisselberg, who is 76 years old, was in jail for 100 days for not providing taxes on US$ 1.7 million in his job perks, including a Manhattan apartment, luxury cars for him and his wife, as well as school tuition for his grandchildren.
Earlier, Allen Weisselberg testified in May for a deposition in the civil case. At that time, he was quoted saying, “Over the last number of months, it’s been, I’m sure, well-documented and well-known that I’ve been through quite a bit,” as per AP.
In May, he testified that he was unwell mentally and was facing some issues, such as trouble sleeping. He also outlined that he also saw a therapist. These statements were presented by him to the lawyers in the room, including James.
He was quoted saying, “It’s been a traumatic and difficult time for myself and my family,” according to the transcript released last month. Wiesselberg added, “After a long, what I considered a very quiet business — a job that I had over all these years — to be thrown into this situation has had a traumatic impact on my day-to-day life and my family’s life.”
It is worth noting that since leaving the jail, Wiesselberg has not made any public appearance, neither has he given interviews nor passed any comment in the public domain.
Trump and Weisselberg’s association:
In April, Trump expressed that he was sad to learn his deposition. “He was with me for a long time. He was liked. He was respected. Now, he’s gone through hell and back. What’s happened to him is very sad,” Trump stated, as per AP.
Reportedly, Weisselberg has been associated with the Trump family since 1973. He joined the family after filling a newspaper recruitment ad for a staff accountant, and he was hired by Fred Trump – the owner of the New York City apartment buildings.
He joined Donald Trump in the year 1986. Many reports have outlined that Weisselberg was offered a salary and bonuses of around US$ 1.14 million a year.