Paul Manafort wants a phrase "well below guidelines" in Virginia

Paul Manafort has asked a Virginia federal judge to sentence him to a "significantly lower" term of imprisonment from 19 to 24 years, which qualifies this range as "grossly disproportionate". report to "his crimes of bank and tax fraud.

This is the second time that the president of the Trump campaign has submitted a request for indulgence, while the special prosecutor Robert S. Mueller III was sentenced in two cases. He is about to be sentenced in Virginia at 3:30 pm. Thursday.

The cases that "the special advocate brought against Mr. Manafort have devastated him personally, professionally and financially," wrote his lawyers in a document filed on Friday.

In Alexandria, Manafort, aged 69, was found guilty of concealing the money he had earned as a lobbyist from Ukrainian oligarchs abroad in order to avoid paying taxes, and then committing bank fraud to maintain a lavish lifestyle when his clients lost power. Although the jurors could not agree on 10 counts out of 18, Manafort later admitted to guilt while pleading guilty to related crimes in federal court.

The defense lawyers told the Court of Justice that it was the billionaire client of Manafort who insisted on paying via foreign bank accounts. But they acknowledged that Manafort was "wrong" to use this money to buy upscale costumes and multi-million dollar homes without paying taxes.

When the money was exhausted, Manafort falsified files and lied to the banks "to preserve his assets in the face of what he hoped and who would be likely to constitute a temporary financial setback," wrote his lawyers. .

Manafort has already found a somewhat sympathetic ear in the Virginia case of Judge T.S. Ellis III. His lawyers even quoted Ellis when he claimed in Washington that Manafort had been chosen by the special council to participate in their inquiry into Russia's participation in the 2016 presidential election and provide details of the campaign. President Trump.

"The strategy of the special advocate to prosecute Mr. Manafort had nothing to do with his fundamental mandate – Russian collusion – but rather aimed at" tightening the screws "to compel Mr. Manafort to cooperate and to provide dependent information on others "they wrote.

They argue that his lobbying and financial crimes are generally treated with civil penalties rather than prison terms.

After losing at the Virginia trial, Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiring in Washington, recognizing his financial crimes and illegal lobbying for Ukraine. He agreed to cooperate with the special council.

But prosecutors then concluded that Manafort had lied several times, especially on issues at the heart of their investigation. Judge D.C., Amy Berman Jackson, agreed, releasing prosecutors from any obligation to recommend a lighter sentence.

In Virginia and Washington, Mueller's team refrained from asking for a specific punishment for Manafort. But they pointed out that his dishonest conduct had lasted for years and continued even after his conviction and convictions. He showed, he said, "a firm commitment to the commission of crimes and a lack of remorse".

The sentence imposed by Manafort in Virginia does not exist. His sentence in Washington is capped at 10 years but could be consecutive to any jail sentence in the Virginia case.

Manafort has been imprisoned since last June, when he was accused of falsifying witnesses after contacting associates and inciting them to lie about his lobbying work. He developed gout while incarcerated, say his lawyers.

"Manafort needs a wheelchair to roam the bad days, or a cane in fine weather," they wrote in one go.

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