Allen H. Weisselberg, Donald J. Trump’s longtime financial lieutenant, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in the Rikers Island jail complex for perjury, capping a legal saga that has now landed him behind bars twice.
The sentence, handed down by a state court judge in Manhattan, came just five days before Mr. Trump is to go on trial in the same courthouse on accusations that he covered up a sex scandal. Mr. Weisselberg was not charged in the same case as Mr. Trump, but he would not be headed to jail if not for his former boss’s own troubles: Prosecutors set their sights on Mr. Weisselberg after he refused to turn on Mr. Trump.
Last month, Mr. Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury committed while he was being questioned in 2020 by the New York attorney general’s office, which was investigating Mr. Trump for fraud.
In a brief and perfunctory appearance before the judge, Laurie Peterson, Mr. Weisselberg, wearing a dark jacket and a blue surgical mask, showed little emotion. When the judge asked if he wanted to say anything, he simply responded, “no, your honor.”
Overall, the sentencing lasted about three minutes, a quicker and less dramatic proceeding than when he was last sentenced to jail in early 2023.
A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, declined to comment. The New York attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did a lawyer for Mr. Weisselberg, Seth Rosenberg.
