黑料社

When lawyers asked Donald Trump more than a decade ago to identify who estimated values on some of his signature properties, he shrugged and pointed to his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg.

鈥淚 think ultimately probably Mr. Weisselberg,鈥� he said, testifying in 2007 in a defamation lawsuit he brought against a journalist, a case that hinged on whether Trump had inflated the value of his business empire. 鈥淚 never got too much involved, other than I would give my opinion.鈥�

A judge dismissed that suit, but Trump鈥檚 comments illustrate the challenges now facing Weisselberg, 73, as he comes under scrutiny in Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance鈥檚 investigation into whether the former U.S. president and his Trump Organization committed financial crimes.

Few people have been as deeply involved in Trump鈥檚 finances as Weisselberg, a trusted figure in Trump鈥檚 family business who began working for Trump鈥檚 father, Fred, in 1973 at the company鈥檚 Brooklyn office, paying bills and tracking the rental payments from apartment towers.

Legal experts and a source familiar with the criminal investigation say prosecutors鈥� apparent goal is to convince Weisselberg to cooperate with the probe into Trump鈥檚 dealings.

鈥淭hey want him to turn,鈥� said the person familiar with the investigation.

A spokesman for Vance declined to comment. Lawyers for Weisselberg and Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

The Manhattan district attorney said in an August filing that the office is investigating 鈥減ossibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct鈥� at the Trump Organization, though he has not fully disclosed the scope of the probe. In a September filing, he said 鈥渕ountainous鈥� misconduct allegations could justify a grand jury probe into possible tax fraud, insurance fraud, and falsifying business records.

Vance鈥檚 office and a separate civil probe by New York Attorney General Letitia James are both examining whether Trump misrepresented the value of his assets for tax benefits, among other potential violations.

Weisselberg鈥檚 unique position in the Trump Organization puts him among a small number of people who could provide prosecutors with crucial evidence of intent to commit fraud. Legal experts say Trump may try to put distance between himself and any controversial valuations of his properties and businesses by citing Weisselberg鈥檚 role as a financial gatekeeper, as he did in the 2007 defamation case.

鈥淚t may very well be that Weisselberg will be Trump鈥檚 defense in a criminal case,鈥� said Michael Bachner, a defense attorney who once worked as a prosecutor with Vance in the Manhattan office.

If Trump argues that he merely relied on the advice of his accountants and lawyers, Weisselberg could be in the position of having to take the heat himself for any potentially fraudulent dealings, Bachner said 鈥� unless the accountant makes a deal with prosecutors and implicates Trump.

鈥淚f I鈥檓 Trump, I鈥檝e got to be nervous about this,鈥� he said.

The source familiar with the investigation said that, in addition to scrutinizing Weisselberg, prosecutors also asked questions about his sons, who also had connections with Trump: Jack Weisselberg, a director at Ladder Capital 鈥� a real estate investment firm that鈥檚 been a creditor for four Trump properties 鈥� and Barry Weisselberg, who managed skating rinks under Trump contracts with New York City.

Ladder Capital did not respond to requests for comment. Other Ladder executives, but not Jack Weisselberg, appear on loan documents involving Trump.

Jack and Barry Weisselberg did not respond to requests for comment.

Unique position of trust

On March 1, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Trump鈥檚 last-ditch effort to keep his tax records private, Vance鈥檚 office obtained millions of pages of records on Trump鈥檚 taxes and finances. His office has also added a prosecutor experienced in organized crime and corruption, Mark Pomerantz, to the Trump investigation team, and interviewed staff at Ladder Capital.

As the Trump Organization鈥檚 chief financial officer and executive vice president, Weisselberg developed a unique position of trust with Trump, according to interviews with four former Trump Organization officials. The accountant handled Trump鈥檚 personal finances as well as the company鈥檚 most sensitive financial information, the officials said.

Barbara Res, Trump鈥檚 former construction manager, said Weisselberg was part of the Trump family鈥檚 inner circle, but he kept an unassuming profile. 鈥淗e was the only one of the executives who would refer to Donald as Mr. Trump,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was that kind of guy.鈥�

Res said Trump trusted Weisselberg as a pair of eyes to make sure Trump鈥檚 other accountants and lawyers were doing their jobs. 鈥淎llen wouldn鈥檛 go outside the company,鈥� she said. 鈥淎llen wouldn鈥檛 talk; Allen could be trusted to keep things quiet.鈥�

When Trump鈥檚 former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, arranged for a hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, Weisselberg was involved in cutting the checks, Cohen testified in a February 2019 hearing held by a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Weisselberg obtained limited immunity from federal prosecutors to provide information in the investigation that targeted Cohen; he was not charged with wrongdoing. Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations.

Vance could seek a court order granting him access to Weisselberg鈥檚 testimony in the federal case against Cohen, legal experts said.

During the 2019 committee hearing, Cohen identified Weisselberg as one of the Trump executives who knew that Trump inflated assets in statements to insurance companies for the purpose of reducing premiums. In response to questions from Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cohen said he could not confirm a New York Times report on whether Trump under-reported values on inherited real estate to reduce his taxes.

鈥淲ho would know the answers to those questions?鈥� she asked.

鈥淎llen Weisselberg,鈥� Cohen said.