How Weisselberg's Perks Added Up

Trump executive has pleaded not guilty in tax case
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 5, 2021 11:40 AM CDT
Weisselberg's Perks Included Mercedes, Tip Money: Prosecutors
Allen Weisselberg, center, departs Manhattan criminal court on Thursday in New York.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Many employers provide gym memberships or cellphones, or maybe even the use of a company car, as perks for its staff members. Some of the freebies are taxable, some aren't, CNBC reports. But the tax fraud case brought against Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, lists benefits that go well beyond cellphones—and right down to carpet installation, for example. The untaxed perks detailed in the case that illegally went to Weisselberg added up to $1.76 million, dwarfing his annual salary of $940,000. Here's what prosecutors say Weisselberg and his family collected in those perks:

  • $1.17 million from 2005 through 2017 for a Manhattan apartment lease and related costs, per Bloomberg.
  • $196,245 for leases on Mercedes-Benz cars from 2005 to 2017 for Weisselberg and his wife.

  • $359,058 in private school tuition, from 2012 through 2017, for two of Weisselberg's grandchildren.
  • A rent-free apartment for Weisselberg’s son Barry in 2018. From 2005 to 2012, Barry Weisselberg, who managed an ice rink run by Trump, paid $1,000 a month, much less than the going rate in Manhattan, per the AP.
  • Random personal expenses billed to the company for items at his homes and his child's apartment, such as flat-screen televisions, furniture, beds, and carpet installation.
  • Cash for tips to distribute around the holidays to meet Weisselberg's personal obligations. Prosecutors said he had the company issue checks to another employee, per the New York Times, who would cash them and give the money to Weisselberg for his personal use.
(More Allen Weisselberg stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X