New York judge puts Allen Weisselberg’s ex daughter-in-law Jennifer under a gag order during her divorce proceedings
- Jennifer Weisselberg is a key witness in the case against the Trump Organization
- She has kept up a running commentary in a string of TV appearances
- Yet a New York court issued a gag order in March as part of a custody battle
- It prevents her discussing her children, custody proceedings and other details
- Her lawyer argued in court that is part of an effort to silence her
A New York judge has placed a gag order on one of the key witnesses in the criminal case against the Trump Order, it emerged on Monday.
Jennifer Weisselberg is the ex daughter-in-law of Allen Weisselberg, who was one of the company’s most senior executives before he had to resign his posts after being charged with running a tax-fraud scheme inside the company.
Reports suggest that her documents and grand jury testimony were central to his indictment and, in a series of media interviews, she has described how her children’s private school fees were paid by the Trump Organization as an untaxed perk.
But it has now emerged that she has been under a gag order since March as part of divorce proceedings, according to a document obtained by the Daily Beast.
‘ORDERED that Defendant, Jennifer Weisselberg, shall refrain from having any discussions or interviews whatsoever with the press about the parties’ children… the custody proceeding pending before the court or her motivation for giving interviews insofar as it concerns the children,’ reads the order, signed by New York County Supreme Court Justice Lori Sattler.
As well as being a key witness, Jennifer Weisselberg has been a frequent commentator on progress of the criminal case against the Trump Organization
Weisselberg said she handed over financial records from her divorce to investigators probing the Trump Organization. When asked which of her documents might have contributed to the case, she said: ‘All of it.’
Allen Weisselberg was the Trump Organization’s chief finance officer until he stepped down after being charged with a tax fraud scheme inside the company. He has denied the charges
Jennifer Weisselberg has been outspoken in her criticism of the Trump Organization and described repeatedly how she kept boxes of financial records collected during her divorce from Allen Weisselberg’s son Barry, who also works for the former president’s company.
Her lawyers say it is all part of a concerted effort to silence her.
‘What we have here is a concerted effort to keep my client quiet,’ said her former attorney Aimee Richter during a hearing in May, according to the Daily Beast.
The order was apparently issued after an attorney appointed by the court to represent the children’s interests expressed concerns about repeated media interest in the couple’s corporate apartment and questions about the custody case.
It marks the latest twist in a divorce that reportedly yielded crucial information in the criminal case.
Witnesses said in April that they saw Jennifer Weisselberg wheeling a valet cart piled with boxes and a laptop computer to to a black Jeep with tinted windows waiting outside her apartment.
The documents are believed to include information about apartments and tuition paid for by the Trump Organization for the couple’s two children, as investigators probe whether the perks were properly declared for tax purposes.
‘For me, when the government calls you, it’s your civic duty and there’s nothing wrong with telling the truth. It wasn’t really a choice; they called me,’ she told CNN.
‘I’m happy to be as honest and transparent and just be forthcoming because I don’t have anything to hide.’
She has kept up a running commentary on the case against the Trump Organization.
Jennifer Weisselberg has said she believes her former father-in-law will ‘flip,’ offering evidence against former President Donald Trump
In an interview in May she said she was certain that the company’s chief financial officer would ‘flip’ on former President Trump.
Soon afterwards she claimed that she was being evicted from her home.
‘Yesterday, I was served to leave my apartment within the next seven days. It’s a threat,’ she said on CNN’s New Day, explaining that her former father-in-law remained a guarantor on her lease.
A month later she told DailyMail.com she did not believe Trump was involved in tax evasion.
‘Allen orchestrated the finances, and Donald is just sort of naïve,’ she said.
‘It’s provable that his trusted CFO is putting [Trump] and his children in a bad legal position.’
She claimed Weisselberg, 73, would do anything ‘to please his boss and continue to show he can save him money.’
And when her former father-in-law and the company were charged at the start of July, she was asked which of her documents might have contributed to the case: ‘All of it,’ she told CNN’s New Day.
Weisselberg is accused of failing to pay tax on $1.76 million of perks since 2005, according to the 25-page, 15-count indictment.
The Trump Organization was also indicted with accusations of conspiracy, grand larceny, tax fraud and falsifying business accounts.
The indictment accused Weisselberg of failing to pay tax on two leased Mercedes-Benzes, a rent-free apartment, bonuses and school fees paid for by the Trump Organization.
It also said that other, unnamed executives were given similar benefits and that Weisselberg orchestrated the scheme with ‘others.’
The various schemes alleged in the indictment include: $1,174,018 in untaxed income used to pay Weisselberg’s rent $359,058 in unreported compensation for private school fees $196,245 in untaxed income for Mercedes Benz leases $29,400 in under-the-table cash used to pay holiday tips.
Wiesselberg and the company have both denied any wrongdoing.