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Judge in Trump fraud trial asks about possible perjury plea deal for Allen Weisselberg
The judge in former President Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial indicated Tuesday he’s weighing how a potential perjury charge against Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, might factor into his final ruling.
Judge Arthur Engoron wrote to lawyers for Trump and the New York Attorney General’s Office asking for guidance on how to handle a report in the New York Times last week that said Weisselberg is in talks to plead guilty to lying on the stand.
Weisselberg’s October testimony in the civil case, in which he is also a defendant, was unexpectedly cut short after Forbes published an article claiming he lied under oath.
In 2017, the magazine reported that financial statements had described Trump’s penthouse apartment in Trump Tower as much larger and worth hundreds of millions of dollars more than its true size and value.
Weisselberg testified that he “never focused” on the valuation of the triplex apartment, but the Forbes article in October said Weisselberg’s emails to reporters from years earlier showed he “played a key role” in supporting the apartment’s false valuation.
Weisselberg has been in negotiations with the Manhattan district attorney to plead guilty to perjury for the testimony, which was under oath, the New York Times reported on Feb. 1. A source with knowledge of the matter confirmed the negotiations to CBS News.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment. Bragg’s office secured a previous guilty plea from Weisselberg in connection with its 2022 criminal tax fraud case against the company, in which the Trump Organization was found guilty of 17 felony counts.
James’ office declined to comment. Attorneys for the defendants did not reply to requests for comment.
While the Forbes story focused on Weisselberg’s testimony about the Trump Tower apartment, Engoron said in his letter to lawyers that “other topics could also be called into question” if Weisselberg admits to perjury. The judge indicated he might conclude that the entirety of Weisselberg’s hourslong testimony was not credible.
He gave attorneys until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to submit a letter to him “detailing anything you know about this that would not violate any of your professional ethics or obligations.”
“I would also appreciate knowing how you think I should address this matter, if at all, including the timing of the final decision,” Engoron wrote.
The judge’s ruling in the case was initially expected by Jan. 31. He has already found Trump and the other defendants liable for fraud, but has yet to rule on other related allegations that were the subject of the trial. Trump and his co-defendants have all denied wrongdoing.
Engoron’s ruling was delayed after a Jan. 26 letter from a special monitor overseeing the Trump Organization’s finances detailed shortcomings and discrepancies in the company’s recent financial disclosures.
Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story misspelled Allen Weisselberg’s first name.
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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve
Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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