The Manhattan District attorney's office is looking at the possibility of bringing new criminal charges against Allen Weisselberg, one of former President Donald Trump's longtime lieutenants, according to The New York Times.
Weisselberg, who retired as chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was recently released from Rikers Island jail after pleading to a tax fraud scheme, the newspaper noted.
He had been sent to jail on Jan. 10 for helping engineer a wide-ranging 15-year tax fraud scheme at Trump's family business, Reuters reported.
Weisselberg was sentenced to five months behind bars but was eligible for release after 100 days with time off for good behavior.
The possibility of bringing new charges is seen as the latest attempt to convince him to testify against Trump. The Times noted the threat of new charges comes just weeks after a grand jury, under the direction of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, indicted Trump.
Bragg's office recently warned Weisselberg's attorneys that prosecutors could bring perjury charges against Weisselberg if their client refuses to testify against Trump, sources told the Times.
The potential perjury charges reportedly stem from statements Weisselberg made during a 2020 interview with prosecutors from the offices of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
At the time, James had been conducting her own separate civil probe of Trump and his family business.
However, the Times noted, it was not clear which part of Weisselberg's testimony Bragg's office was zeroing in on.
If Weisselberg declines to cooperate with Bragg's office, prosecutors have indicated they are also looking at unrelated insurance fraud charges against him.
The Times said there is no indication that Weisselberg is close to agreeing to testify or that any new charges are imminent.
"The guy has already been prosecuted and served his time, and he's 75 years old,” said Daniel Horwitz, a criminal defense lawyer who once worked in the district attorney's office. "Most defense lawyers are going to scratch their heads and say, Is this fair?"
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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