The Trump Organization has replaced attorneys for Allen Weisselberg, the imprisoned former chief financial officer. After some inside Trumpworld expressed concern that he was too willing to play ball with the Manhattan District Attorney investigating former President Donald Trump, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
For months, the Trump Organization has been paying New York City attorney Nicholas Gravante to represent Weisselberg, but according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke to The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity, Gravante wasn’t “Trumpy” enough to stay on board.
Gravante, one of the city’s top criminal defense attorneys. gave serious support to Weisselberg last year. And played a key role in securing a plea deal that helped Trump Organization executives avoid lengthy prison terms in state prisons. By testifying at the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corporation tax fraud trial.
Weisselberg’s lukewarm testimony was not entirely friendly to the Manhattan prosecutor. But it was enough to convince the jury to convict the companies, which were fined $1.6 million.
according to a source familiar with the dispute. Trump associates are bitter at Gravante’s decision to have Weisselberg meet with prosecutors in Manhattan to prepare his testimony for the trial. A move they see as being too friendly to law enforcement. The source added that attorneys for the Trump Organization were concerned about the deal and convinced Trump’s son Eric Trump, now executive vice president of the Trump Organization, to fire Weisselberg’s attorney. Grabante, of the case, said he was not seen as an ally of Trump.
Basically, Gravante was so protective of Weisselberg that he was willing to sit down with prosecutors to make sure executives were no longer in legal jeopardy. Even if that makes the Trump Organization uncomfortable.
Susan Necheles, the defense attorney who represented the Trump Organization at the trial Responding to events in that form “Completely wrong”
“Nick made sure Weisselberg cooperated with both the defense and the prosecution. And Weisselberg’s testimony at trial was very helpful in defending and hurting the prosecuting party,” Necheles said. “Mr. I understand that Mr. Weisselberg consulted with his family after the trial ended.”
Five people who spoke to The Daily Beast confirmed that Weisselberg is now being represented by defense attorney Seth L. Rosenberg, who previously spent time running the racket office at the same DA office investigating the case.
Rosenberg did not respond to a request for comment.
Even as the company’s tax fraud trial comes to an end, Weisselberg continues to get caught up in how he handled the Trump Organization’s asset assessments, and that makes him a prime target for local prosecutors in New York County. They will benefit from having key witnesses testify about those details. as they pursue another criminal case involving Trump.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a grand jury on trial. which may vote to impeach the former American president soon This bases fake business records and is against campaign finance laws. For years, local prosecutors have sought to criminally charge Trump in a way that he approved paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election to keep her quiet. about their affair which is an obscene detail that may has made his presidential campaign
Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime service provider Get paid and get paid back within a year by the Trump Organization. So the deal was hidden at corporate expense to outside attorneys.
The Manhattan Attorney’s Office is trying to draw the blame from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. of the Southern District of New York Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Cohen only in 2018, based in part on testimony by a grand jury from Weisselberg. who, at the time, served as CFO of the Trump Organization, approved the settlement.
Cohen’s Memoirs, dishonestDescribes how he and Weisselberg discussed returns in Trump Tower just weeks before the election. Cohen recalls that Weisselberg initially suggested falsifying business records by invoicing through Trump National Golf Club outside Los Angeles or selling Mar-a-Lago membership.
“We definitely don’t want the traces of paper sent back to the boss… If the boss pays and signs the check It was like revealing it to the world…. It needs to be from a third party to ensure confidentiality,” Weisselberg said.
However, Weisselberg was exempt from the federal government from discussing his role. So the local prosecutor cannot threaten him with criminal charges for the Stormy Daniels affair.
But Bragg’s prosecutor tried to get him to speak anyway.
According to two people familiar with the situation and one law enforcement source, Prosecutors in recent weeks have discussed applying further pressure on Weisselberg. He is currently being held at the New York City Prison on Rikers Island until at least April.
Investigators are looking into the possibility of a second criminal charge against Weisselberg, this time accusing him of insurance fraud. according to two news sources As the New York Attorney General’s office noted in a parallel investigation that resulted in civil lawsuits last year, the Trump Organization received approval from Zurich Insurance Group for its bail bond. However, state investigators allege that Weisselberg lied to an underwriter in Zurich by flipping financial statements claiming that the assets were appraised by an outside firm. even though I didn’t do it
“Weisselberg’s representation to the Zurich underwriters… is false,” the lawsuit states. “The Trump Organization does not have any professional valuation firms to prepare any valuations used for statements. The valuation was made by Trump Organization personnel contrary to what the Zurich underwriters expressly told and believed.”
New York AG investigator Letitia James argued that if Zurich found out the truth, it would have made the Trump Organization an unfavorable deal. Or may question the relationship between the company and the company altogether.
A Manhattan DA investigator is currently hanging over Weisselberg’s head, adding stress to his final week at Rikers, according to two sources.
(Tag for translation)Donald J. Trump
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