Manafort, Gates face new set of charges
Legal problems deepen for former Trump campaign officials
Paul Manafort was using fraudulently obtained loans and tax-cheating tricks to prop up his personal finances as he became chairman of the Trump campaign in 2016, according to a new 32-count indictment filed against him and his business partner Thursday.
The indictment ratchets up pressure on Mr. Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, who were already preparing for a trial that could come later this year on fraud and money laundering charges.
The additional charges had been expected in special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecution of Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates. Mr. Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016, and served as the campaign chairman from June to August of that year. Mr. Gates also served as a top official on now-President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Mr. Mueller accused the men of lying on their income tax returns and conspiring to commit bank fraud to get loans. The indictment was filed in federal court in Virginia — a technical requirement because that was where the suspects filed their tax returns.
While many of the charges are similar to ones Mr. Manafort was charged with in October, the indictment dramatically expands the legal jeopardy that the former Trump campaign managers now face in court. Both Mr. Manafort and his longtime associate had already faced the prospect of at least a decade in prison if convicted at trial.
A court filing indicates that prosecutors initially sought to combine the new charges with the pre-existing indictment in federal court in Washington, but Mr. Manafort declined to agree, leading to the possibility of two separate trials in two neighboring jurisdictions.
The charges do not involve Mr. Trump or his campaign and involve accusations that predate either man’s involvement with the president. But the investigation has been an unwanted distraction for the White House.
Thenew indictment offers a more detailed portrait of what prosecutors say was a multi-year scheme by Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates to use their income from working for a Ukrainian political party to buy properties, evade taxes and support a lavish lifestyle even after their business connections in Kiev evaporated.
“Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their Ukraine work. From approximately 2006 through the present, Manafort and Gates engaged in a scheme to hide income from United States authorities, while enjoying the use of the money,” the indictment charges.