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Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort jailed for 47 months

Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort has been sentenced to 47 months in prison fo...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

07.20 8 Mar 2019


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Trump's former campaign manage...

Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort jailed for 47 months

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

07.20 8 Mar 2019


Share this article


Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort has been sentenced to 47 months in prison for tax and bank fraud.

He was convicted last summer of hiding millions of dollars earned from his political consulting in Ukraine.

The veteran political lobbyist appeared in court in a wheelchair.

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He asked the judge for compassion, saying that "my life, personally and professionally, is in shambles".

“To say I feel humiliated and ashamed would be a gross understatement," he added.

Prosecutors had been pushing for between 19 and 24 years in prison.

The judge said those guidelines were "unwarranted" and such a sentence would have been excessive.

However, the judge noted: "I was surprised I did not hear you express regret for engaging in wrongful conduct".

Manafort was also fined $50,000 and ordered to pay restitution of around $24m.

Charges

Last August, Manafort was found guilty of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of hiding foreign bank accounts.

A jury could not reach a verdict on 10 other charges, with the judge declaring a mistrial on those counts.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Manafort used "hidden overseas wealth" - amounting to millions of dollars - to enjoy a "lavish lifestyle in the United States, without paying taxes on that income".

The charges emerged as part of the ongoing special counsel probe led by Robert Mueller.

However, the charges in this case are not directly related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and largely predate Manafort's work with the Trump campaign.

Manafort is due to be sentenced in another case next week related to illegal lobbying.

While he reached a plea deal in that case, Mr Mueller later accused Manafort of breaching the agreement by lying to the FBI.

Additional reporting by IRN
Main image: File photo of Paul Manafort. Picture by: Mark Reinstein/Zuma Press/PA Images

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