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Stephen Calk, a former chairman and chief executive of Federal
Savings Bank, has pleaded not guilty to charges of financial
institution bribery and conspiracy for helping arrange $16
million of loans to Manafort that later went into default.
Prosecutors said that after Trump won the 2016 presidential
election, Calk sent Manafort a ranked list of 10 positions he
wanted, including Treasury secretary, commerce secretary and
defense secretary, and a separate list of 19 ambassadorships.
Manafort allegedly recommended to Trump's post-election
transition team that Calk, a 16-year Army veteran, be appointed
Army secretary, the service's top civilian job.
Calk interviewed in January 2017 for a job as Under Secretary of
the Army, but never joined the administration.
U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan will oversee
Calk's trial.
The defendant was first charged in May 2019, and faces up to 30
years in prison if convicted on the bribery charge.
Calk's alleged outreach was discussed at Manafort's 2018 trial
in Virginia, including accusations that Manafort made false
statements to privately held Federal Savings to obtain his
loans.
That case originated with former Special Counsel Robert
Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Manafort was convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud and
sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison, but was later released to
home confinement. Trump then pardoned Manafort in December.
At Manafort's trial, a Federal Savings employee testified that
Calk had taken a "personal interest" in Manafort's loans, and
that he had never seen such loans approved so fast.
The case is U.S. v. Calk, U.S. District Court, Southern District
of New York, No. 19-cr-00366.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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