President Trump’s ex-campaign chair Paul Manafort will be sentenced by a federal judge in Virginia on Thursday for bank and tax fraud — and…
President Trump’s ex-campaign chair Paul Manafort will be sentenced by a federal judge in Virginia on Thursday for bank and tax fraud — and could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Judge T. S. Ellis could deliver what would effectively be a life sentence to the shady 69-year-old operative if he follows federal sentencing guidelines that call for 19-1/2 to 24 years in a federal pen for the eight charges the veteran GOP political operative was convicted of by a jury in Alexandria last August. The sentencing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Manfort’s crimes were first uncovered during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and possible cooperation by the Trump campaign.
He was convicted after prosecutors accused him of hiding from the government millions of dollars he earned as a consultant for Ukraine’s former pro-Russia government.
After pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster, prosecutors said, Manafort lied to banks to secure loans and maintain an opulent lifestyle with luxurious homes, designer suits — and even a much-mocked $15,000 ostrich-skin jacket.
