Weisselberg, 73 years old, started working for the Trump family in the early 1970s, under the former US president’s father, until serving as chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
Therefore, when opening a criminal investigation targeting the Trump Organization related to former President Donald Trump’s business transactions, New York prosecutors hope that they can convince Weisselberg to testify against him.
Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer of the Trump Organization.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is searching for evidence to see whether the Trump Organization misled lenders and insurance companies about real estate values and whether it paid the appropriate taxes.
Trump has repeatedly denied the accusations, claiming the investigations against him are politically motivated.
`My intuition tells me that the success or failure of this investigation depends on only one person: Allen Weisselberg,` said former federal prosecutor Elie Honig.
The Trump Organization is a large enterprise with more than 350 employees, but Trump only has three most loyal confidants, including his two sons, Donald Jr.
Having spent half a century managing bookkeeping and accounting for the corporation, Weisselberg is present in almost every business activity of the Trump Organization, from the Miss Universe contest, rental office buildings to
Pressure increased on Weisselberg last week after his own tax returns were investigated.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer at the beginning of his term, accused Weisselberg of arranging for the Trump Organization to pay him $35,000 a month.
Weisselberg was required to testify before a grand jury in connection with the Cohen investigation but was granted witness immunity and did not face charges against him.
In his early 20s, Trump attracted a lot of attention and became famous on the way to building his business empire.
In Trump’s reality TV series `The Apprentice`, Weisselberg appeared as a judge in episode 7 of the second season.
The Weisselberg family and the Trump family have also been intertwined for decades.
Jennifer Weisselberg, Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law, once described him: `He has more love and affection for Donald than his wife. For Donald, it’s business, but for Allen, it’s business.`
According to Jennifer, some Weisselberg family members also get to use Trump Organization apartments for free.
Neither Barry Weisselberg nor the Trump Organization commented on the allegations.
Last week, in an interview with NBC News, Jennifer also revealed that Allen Weisselberg discussed `everything` related to the company’s finances with Trump.
