Manafort, Gates must stay under house arrest
WASHINGTON – A federal judge ordered former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates to remain under house arrest Monday, their movements tracked by GPS devices — until they offer more bail money to assure their appearances in court.
Federal prosecutors, who leveled a 12- count indictment alleging a complexmoneylaundering and tax fraud conspiracy, said they were “close” to reaching an agreement with the men’s lawyers to free them from home confinement.
U. S. District Judge Amy Jackson said the terms for their releasewould not be eased until bail packages for both men were approved by the court.
“We are not talking about dangerousness,” Jackson said in a brief hearing Monday morning. “We’re talking about ( the risk of) flight.”
Jackson said shewas “inclined” to eventually let Manafort and Gates out of home confinement and was even open to allowing them to travel within the USA, so they could continue their consulting work, but not overseas. “No international travel is going to be a condition of this release,” she said.
Manafort and Gates were charged this month with conspiracy, money laundering and acting as unregistered foreign agents in one of the first criminal cases to come from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of alleged Russian tampering in the 2016 election and its possible connection to Trump’s campaign. A grand jury alleged that they worked on behalf of pro- Russia factions in Ukraine, then laundered their profits into the USA to evade taxes.
Both men have been under house arrest since they surrendered to the FBI last week.
Their lawyers struggled to come to an agreement with prosecutors over how much money they should have to put up before they are allowed to leave their homes. Prosecutors said the effort has been complicated because the men control a tangle of bank accounts, properties and other assets, many of which are connected to charges that they moved tens of millions of dollars through overseas banks during the past decade.
Prosecutors said they have determined Manafort’s net worth to be about$ 28million andwanted apackage worth at least $ 10 million to assure his court appearances.
Jackson said Manafort pledged personal properties totaling $ 7.5 million. Though the judge said the properties were “a good start, it doesn’t begin to cover” the $ 10 million in secured assets sought by the court.