Tag: Paul Manafort

3 Takeaways from Day 7 of the Manafort Trial

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 8, 2018:

Damaging evidence is piling up, while prosecutors annoy the judge

Day 6 of Paul Manafort’s tax evasion and bank fraud trial featured testimony from longtime Manafort deputy Rick Gates. Credit: Zach Gibson, Getty Images

Day seven of the Paul Manafort trial took a technical turn Wednesday, an indication that prosecutors could be wrapping up their case against the former Trump campaign chairman.

Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime deputy and the prosecution’s star witness, walked out of the courtroom late Wednesday morning after more than 10 hours of testimony that spanned three days.

FBI forensic accountant Morgan Magionos walked jurors through her special counsel-ordained investigation that revealed how Manafort purchased luxury goods back in the U.S. through foreign bank accounts.

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3 Takeaways from Day 6 of the Manafort Trial

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 7, 2018:

Day 6 of Paul Manafort’s tax evasion and bank fraud trial featured testimony from longtime Manafort deputy Rick Gates. Credit: Zach Gibson, Getty Images

Day Six of the Paul Manafort trial is in the books.

It’s a day that featured testimony from just one witness, Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime deputy, who finished his direct questioning from prosecutors and underwent a grueling cross-examination from lead defense attorney Kevin Downing.

Gates pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of lying to an FBI agent in exchange for testifying against his former boss.

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3 Takeaways from Day 6 of the Manafort Trial

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 7, 2018:

Credibility of longtime deputy could be critical to prosecution

Day Six of the Paul Manafort trial is in the books.

It’s a day that featured testimony from just one witness, Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime deputy, who finished his direct questioning from prosecutors and underwent a grueling cross-examination from lead defense attorney Kevin Downing.

Gates pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of lying to an FBI agent in exchange for testifying against his former boss.

View the complete article here.

Paul Manafort trial Day 6: Gates admits affair, says he used Manafort’s money for trysts

The following article by Justin Jouvenal, Rachel Weiner, Matt Zapotosky and Rosalind Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website August 7, 2018:

Before he joined the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort made a name for himself in the D.C. lobbying world, but his past caught up with him. (Dalton Bennett , Jon Gerberg, Jesse Mesner-Hage/The Washington Post)

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, is on trial in federal court in Alexandria on bank and tax fraud charges. Prosecutors allege that he failed to pay taxes on millions he made from his work for a Russia-friendly Ukrainian political party, then lied to get loans when the cash stopped coming in.

The case is being prosecuted by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Here’s what you need to know about Day 6 of this trial:

  • Manafort’s longtime business partner Rick Gates took the stand for a second day.
  • He admitted to having an extra-marital affair in London and to embezzling from Manafort.
  • Gates testified about how he and Manafort set up offshore accounts in Cyprus to transfer money to the U.S.

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3 Takeaways From Day 5 of the Manafort Trial

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 6 2018:

Manafort’s former deputy, Rick Gates, takes the stand

Rick Gates, here in November 2017. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

The second week of the tax evasion and bank fraud trial of Paul Manafort kicked off Monday.

The day featured the defense’s cross-examination of Cindy Laporta, the onetime Trump campaign chairman’s former accountant and tax preparer; testimony from a Treasury Department employee who researched whether Manafort had filed reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, or FBARs; and Manafort’s former deputy, Rick Gates.

The high-powered political consultant is facing 18 counts and a maximum 305-year prison sentence if the Eastern Virginia jury finds him guilty.

Rick Gates says he lied for years at Manafort’s request and stole from him in the process

The following article by Rachel Weiner, Matt Zapotosky, Ann E. Marimow and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website August 6, 2018:

Rick Gates testified Aug. 6 that he stole money from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and committed an array of crimes with his former boss. (Reuters)

ick Gates — the star witness against President Trump’s former campaign chairman — admitted in federal court Monday that he committed a host of crimes with his former boss, and confessed to stealing from him and others.

In his first hour on the witness stand, Gates catalogued years of illegal activity, saying most of his wrongdoing was committed on behalf of his former boss, Paul Manafort, while other crimes were for his own benefit, including the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Gates also made clear that he was testifying against Manafort with the hope of receiving a lesser prison sentence, having pleaded guilty in February as part of a deal with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Manafort’s trial in Alexandria, Va., is the first to arise out of the Mueller probe and marks a major public test of that investigation’s credibility. Mueller’s team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether any Trump associates conspired with those efforts.

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Why Manafort matters

The following article by Judd Legum was posted on the Popular.info website August 8, 2018:

This week, the man who was in charge of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Paul Manafort, is on trial in Virginia for bank fraud and filing false tax returns, among other charges. Next month in DC, Manafort will face trial for more charges, including conspiracy against the United States.

The official line from Donald Trump and the White House is that this trial has nothing to do with them or Robert Mueller’s investigation into the potential conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump

Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders. He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion – a Hoax!

August 1, 2018

It’s true that the conduct being directly prosecuted does not encompass Manafort’s official work as campaign manager. But the idea that the conduct is “old” and unconnected to the Trump campaign is false.

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Want to Know More About … the Manafort Trial

Jonathan Karl: “In A Dramatic Moment, David, Gates Told The Court, ‘I’m Here To Tell The Truth, I’m Here To Take Responsibility.’, And Then, He Added That Paul Manafort Had The Same Opportunity, The Implication Is Of Course, That He Did Not Take It.”

[World News Tonight, ABC, 8/7/18; VIDEO]

David Wright: “It Was A Grueling Day On The Stand For Rick Gates. He Is The Government’s Star Witness In This Case But The Defense Did Its Best To Pummel His Credibility.”

[Good Morning America, ABC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]

3 Takeaways After First Week of Manafort Trial

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website August 3, 2018:

Explosive testimony from accountants caps tough Day 4 for ex-Trump campaign chairman

President Donald Trump pauses during a rally, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, Pa.. Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The first week of the tax evasion and bank fraud trial of Paul Manafort is in the books after a tough Friday for the former Trump campaign chairman.

Day Four featured explosive testimony from two witnesses: Manafort’s former accountants, Cindy Laporta and Philip Ayliff. Laporta was the first witness to testify under immunity from the prosecution, an indication she would otherwise have been opening herself up to legal trouble.

Manafort is facing 18 counts and a maximum 305-year prison sentence if the Eastern Virginia jury finds him guilty.

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Manafort’s bookkeeper testifies against him, alleging efforts to inflate income

The following article by Rachel Weiner, Justin Jouvenal and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website August 2, 2018:

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is on trial for tax and bank fraud. The case has exposed his lavish spending on luxury clothes. (Patrick Martin, Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)

Paul Manafort’s longtime bookkeeper testified against him Thursday, telling a Virginia jury that his seven-figure lifestyle lasted until about 2015 when the cash ran out, the bills piled up and he and his business partner began trying to fudge numbers to secure loans.

The dry but potentially damaging testimony from the bookkeeper, Heather Washkuhn, appeared to undercut Manafort’s defense against bank and tax charges, which is that his business partner is responsible for any financial misdeeds. But Washkuhn testified that Manafort approved “every penny.”

Washkuhn spent hours on the witness stand, describing account balances, bills received and payments. Her testimony is critical to the case being heard by a six-man, six-woman jury in Alexandria, Va., as Manafort, who was then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign chairman for a period in 2016, is charged with running a years-long scheme to hide millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service, and then, when his income dried up, lying to get bank loans so he could continue living the good life.

View the complete article here.