A New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial has asked lawyers in the case for information about possible perjury by the former U.S. president’s onetime finance chief, who is reportedly facing criminal charges for lying on the stand.
In a letter docketed Tuesday, Justice Arthur Engoron told lawyers for Trump and the New York Attorney General’s Office that he wants to know whether former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg “is admitting he lied under oath in my courtroom.”
Engoron said the matter could affect the timing of his final ruling in the case, which is expected by mid-February.
Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is accused in the lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan terms. James, an elected Democrat, seeks $370 million in penalties and sharp restrictions on Trump’s ability to do business in New York.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the case a political vendetta.
New York Seeks $370 Million in Damages in Trump’s Civil Fraud Trial
The New York Times reported last week that Weisselberg, who is also a defendant in the case, is “negotiating a deal with Manhattan prosecutors that would require him to plead guilty to perjury” for testifying that he did not play a role in Trump’s false statements about the values of his properties.
Engoron presided over a contentious three-month trial last year and will decide the case without a jury. In his letter dated Monday, he asked the lawyers in the case to advise him on whether Weisselberg’s reported plea negotiations should affect the timing of his ruling.
He also indicated that he may write off Weisselberg’s trial testimony as unreliable if the former finance chief pleads guilty to perjury.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
Topics New York Fraud Legislation
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