Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort committed crimes that cut to
WASHINGTON — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort committed crimes that cut to « the heart of the criminal justice system » and over the years deceived everyone from bookkeepers and banks to federal prosecutors and his own lawyers, according to a sentencing memo filed Saturday by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.
In the memo, submitted in one of two criminal cases Manafort faces, prosecutors do not yet take a position on how much prison time he should serve or whether to stack the punishment on top of a separate sentence he will soon receive in a Virginia prosecution. But they do depict Manafort as a longtime and unrepentant criminal who committed « bold » crimes, including under the spotlight of his role as campaign chairman and later while on bail, and who does not deserve any leniency.
« For over a decade, Manafort repeatedly and brazenly violated the law, » prosecutors wrote. « His crimes continued up through the time he was first indicted in October 2017 and remarkably went unabated even after indictment. »
Citing Manafort’s lies to the FBI, several government agencies and his own lawyer, prosecutors said that « upon release from jail, Manafort presents a grave risk of recidivism. »
The memo is likely the last major filing by prosecutors as Manafort heads into his sentencing hearings next month and as Mueller’s investigation approaches a conclusion.
