Paul Manafort to appear in court in prison jumpsuit to work out sentencing details

  20 October 2018    Read: 1282
Paul Manafort to appear in court in prison jumpsuit to work out sentencing details

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was back in a federal court in Virginia on Friday to hear when he will be sentenced on fraud charges .

Manafort was convicted in Alexandria earlier this year on tax- and bank-fraud charges largely unconnected to his work on the Trump campaign.

He appeared in court on Friday in a green prison jumpsuit with the words ‘Alexandria inmate’ printed on the back, and, without explanation, unexpectedly sitting in a wheelchair. The judge had denied a request he be allowed to wear civilian clothes. Manafort was known for his expensive and flamboyant clothing taste.

Manafort was told he will be sentenced on 8 February 2019, at 9AM.

His lawyers indicated, but without giving details, that his confinement has led to “significant issues” with his health.

After his conviction, Manafort struck a plea deal on separate charges brought in the District of Columbia and agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

There was no indication on Friday of when Manafort’s cooperation with the government will be complete.

Manafort was convicted in August on eight fraud charges, in the first trial arising from Mueller’s investigation. There was a mistrial declared on 10 other charges, and those were dismissed by the judge on Friday.

He was accused of lying to banks while seeking personal loans, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service in reporting income related to his political consulting work in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Last month, Manafort agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation in a move that could mean legal trouble for Trump, confessing to two additional criminal charges, including a conspiracy to defraud the US government, as part of a plea deal.

He pledged in his plea agreement to assist government prosecutors with “any and all” matters, and brief officials about “his participation in and knowledge of all criminal activities”.


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