|
There was just a 69-year-old man in a green prison jumpsuit
stamped with "Alexandria Inmate."
Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for President Donald
Trump, rolled into a Virginia courthouse in a wheelchair for
sentencing on Thursday after being found guilty of bank and tax
fraud in a trial last year that turned him into a model of
Washington lobbyist excess.
The federal judge in the case, T.S. Ellis, sentenced Manafort to
47 months in prison. The judge noted that Manafort's time
already served would be subtracted from the sentence. Manafort
has been jailed since June 2018.
Prosecutors had cited federal sentencing guidelines that called
for 19-1/2 to 24 years in prison, while Manafort pleaded for the
judge's mercy.
Like Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, Manafort was
a hired gun who entered Trump's orbit, did his bidding, drew the
attention of prosecutors and came out shattered.
"To say I have been humiliated and ashamed would be a gross
understatement," Manafort told the judge on Thursday, his
formerly brown hair noticeably grayer than months ago. He said
his life was "professionally and financially in shambles."
That came from a man who "believed the law did not apply to
him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye told the jury at the
beginning of Manafort's trial last year.
Before joining the Trump campaign in 2016, Manafort had built a
reputation as a Washington power player. He lobbied on behalf of
foreign leaders – some of whom were accused of running
oppressive governments - and advised Republican presidential
candidates, such as George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole.
Deep in debt as his revenue from work for the government of
Ukraine began to dry up, Manafort connected with the turbulent
Trump campaign, even though such a step was bound to attract
scrutiny of his international lobbying and jet-set lifestyle.
During the fraud trial that followed in Virginia, prosecutors
detailed his over-the-top lifestyle: multiple homes, luxury cars
and watches, Persian rugs and more than $1 million spent on
custom suits and coats from high-end menswear retailers,
including a $15,000 jacket made from ostrich skin.
Although Manafort's 47-month sentence was lower than many legal
analysts expected, he will be sentenced next week in a second
fraud case, in Washington.
A plea deal he struck to avoid a trial in that case was tossed
out after the federal judge determined Manafort had lied to
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office and the FBI about
matters material to Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the
2016 presidential election.
Trump says Manafort's crimes, which involve work he provided on
behalf of the government of Ukraine, had nothing to do with him
or allegations that his campaign conspired with Russia to
influence the 2016 election. Trump denies any collusion took
place and Russia rejects U.S. intelligence findings it
interfered in the election.
But after a jury convicted Manafort in August, Trump called the
investigation a "disgrace" and called Manafort a "good man,"
leaving open the possibility of a pardon.
(Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and
Peter Cooney)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
