Three people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Allen Weisselberg, the former head of Donald Trump’s finances, is likely to enter a guilty plea as early as Thursday in a tax evasion case that is the only criminal prosecution to result from a protracted investigation into the former president’s company.
Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization, was due to stand trial in October on charges that he received more than $1.7 million in illegal payments from the business, including rent, car payments, and educational expenses.
According to court documents, Weisselberg’s attorneys and prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office met with Juan Manuel Merchan, the judge presiding over the case, on Monday.
The judge then scheduled a hearing in the case for Thursday morning at 9 a.m. without giving a reason.
Because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the matter, the individuals who spoke to the AP agreed to comment only on the condition of anonymity.
They stated that Allen Weisselberg’s guilty plea was the main goal of the hearing on Thursday, but they issued a warning that plea agreements can occasionally unravel before they are officially accepted in court.
The parameters of a potential plea deal were not made clear by Weisselberg’s attorney, Nicholas Gravante Jr., who told The New York Times on Monday that Weisselberg had been in plea negotiations to end the issue.
Weisselberg was anticipated to receive a five-month jail sentence, which would make him available for release after approximately 100 days, according to The Times, which cited two people with knowledge of the situation.
Weisselberg would not be required to testify or otherwise assist a criminal probe into Trump’s business conduct as part of the agreement.
Trump’s business, the Trump Organization, is also accused in the case, but it didn’t seem like they were discussing a plea deal. The Trump Organization and Weisselberg have entered a not-guilty plea.
The district attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment. A Trump Organization lawyer was contacted and asked for comment.
