Trump fraud trial judge demands answers about Allen Weisselberg’s potential perjury deal

MANHATTAN (CN) — New York Judge Arthur Engoron is demanding answers from Donald Trump’s lawyers amid rumors that one of the former president’s co-defendants is negotiating a plea deal for lying in his courtroom.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Allen Weisselberg, the former finance chief of the Trump Organization, was in talks with Manhattan prosecutors to plead guilty to perjury after his October testimony in Trump’s civil fraud trial. 

Engoron caught wind, insisting Tuesday that the trial’s attorneys turn over anything they know about the possibility that Weisselberg lied on the stand. 

“I of course want to know whether Mr. Weisselberg is now changing his tune, and whether he is admitting he lied under oath in my courtroom at this trial,” Engoron wrote in a Tuesday email. 

Trump and Weisselberg are being accused by the state of inflating Trump Organization assets to short banks and insurers millions. After a 10-week bench trial that wrapped up late last year, Engoron is expected to issue a ruling as early as this week.

Weisselberg’s potential plea could complicate things, however.

“By Wednesday at 5 p.m., please submit, as officers of the court, a letter to me detailing anything you know about this that would not violate any of your professional ethics or obligations,” Engoron wrote. “I would also appreciate knowing how you think I should address this matter, if at all, including the timing of the final decision.”

Weisselberg testified in October that he “never focused” on the size of Trump’s Manhattan triplex — which Trump had reported on financial paperwork to be about three times as big as it actually was.

After his testimony, Forbes reported that Weisselberg had lied on the stand, citing “a review of old emails and notes” that showed Weisselberg was actually instrumental in pushing the fabricated size of Trump’s penthouse to reporters.

Engoron said that, while the perjury rumors only surround the penthouse testimony, he’d consider dismissing Weisselberg’s broader testimony as well.

“Although the Times article focuses on the size of the Trump Tower Penthouse, his testimony on other topics could also be called into question,” Engoron continued. “I may also use this as a basis to invoke falsus in uno.”

Last week’s Times report said that Weisselberg would have to admit to lying under oath during his testimony at Trump’s civil fraud trial, as well as in a pre-trial interview with state lawyers. 

Defense attorneys and spokespeople for the attorney general’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Weisselberg is no stranger to the Manhattan District Attorney. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to tax evasion stemming from a criminal case against the Trump Organization. Weisselberg served a roughly four-month stint in the infamous Rikers Island prison for the admission.

But it was Trump’s behavior in the Manhattan courtroom that captured headlines throughout the civil fraud trial. In January, when the parties returned to deliver closing arguments, Trump delivered an unplanned rant from the defense table. He called the trial a “political witch hunt” and lashed out at the judge and the attorney general.

“You have your own agenda,” Trump said, attacking the judge. “You can’t listen for more than one minute.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the case in 2022 against Donald Trump and his co-defendants, accusing them of using phony statements of financial condition in a number of business transactions. Before the bench trial began, Engoron found Trump liable for the case’s top fraud count.

Engoron’s impending ruling will determine the remaining counts in the complaint, as well as damages. James is seeking more than $300 million in disgorgement penalties from the defendants. Donald Trump and Allen Weisselberg could face lifetime bans in the New York real estate industry, while Trump’s adult sons Eric and Donald Jr. could face five-year bans.

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