Manafort puts himself "above the law" to finance his expensive tastes, hears the court | American News

Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, put "money over the law" to fund a lavish lifestyle that included a $ 21,000 watch and a 15-pack jacket. $ 000 made from the ostrich. "Former US dictator Uzo Asonye told the jury the first day of the lobbyist and political consultant's trial on 18 counts of bank fraud and tax evasion.

But the defense Manafort was seeking to blame his assistant, Rick Gates, and tried to cast doubt on his future evidence by claiming that he betrayed Manafort's trust and "got his hand in the cookie jar." "

Arguments were heard on the first day of the first trial." The investigation of Robert Mueller on the alleged collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. "Mueller was not present in the room Hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, and Trump's name was not mentioned.

Even so, a pin could have been heard falling when Asonye embarked on her statement of responsibility. "A man in this room believed that the law does not apply do not have him, "he said, while Manafort stared blankly. "No tax law, no banking law."

The evidence gathered by Mueller's team shows that Manafort channeled more than $ 60 million of its Ukrainian political consultations through offshore accounts and hid some "significant" part. IRS, the prosecutor continued. He has financed several luxury houses, fast cards and half-million dollar "fancy clothes".

This "secret income" had been used to pay for personal expenses such as a $ 21,000 watch, an ostrich jacket and more than $ 6 million worth of goods paid in cash, said Asonye. "He got everything he wanted."

District Judge TS Ellis III said, "It is not a crime to have a lot of money and to be lobbied in your expenses.

But the evidence would show that Manafort had submitted false tax returns, committed bank fraud more than once and submitted false documents or induced others to do so for him, according to Asonye. He allegedly opened 30 bank accounts in three foreign countries to "receive and hide" his income. He added: "Did Paul Manafort lie?" He added: "Paul Manafort has placed himself and his money above the law."

From 2005, the court heard that Manafort was working for politicians. oligarchs in Ukraine and received payments through the medium of shell companies. But when the client of "golden goose" of Manafort, the former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, fell from power in 2014, the money has dried up and the network of deceptions of Manafort was expanded to compensate

. Manafort was the one who gave the orders and was the beneficiary. "Paul Manafort lied to his accountant, he lied to his tax preparer, he lied to the IRS, he lied to several financial institutions – all to get and keep some money . "

statement that Manafort had trusted others to follow the millions of dollars that he earned from his Ukrainian political consultant work. He left little doubt that the defense strategy stubbornly breaks the credibility of Gates, who also worked as an assistant on Trump's election campaign and entered into an advocacy agreement with Mueller this year.

"Rick Gates had his hand in the cookie jar and he could not take the risk his boss would discover," said Zehnle

"Manafort was relying on Gates and others, including a professional accounting firm, to keep tabs on money, "he continued. "Money is coming fast. That's a lot, and Paul Manafort trusted Rick Gates to keep it … That's what Rick Gates was paid to do. evidence will show that Paul's trust was misplaced. "

Gates hijacked millions of dollars from his longtime employer, Zehnle said, and" continued to make false claims "until the moment he pleaded guilty to cooperating. "Rick Gates, you'll learn, violated one of the most basic rules of life: when you're in a hole, stop digging."

Zehnle warned the jury to carefully consider the motives of Gates' witness "The basis of the special advocate's complaint against Paul Manafort lies squarely on the shoulders of this person."

Zehnle disputed the attorney's claim that Manafort was trying to hide his earnings by storing money in bank accounts in Cyprus. He said it was the preferred method of payment of supporters of the pro-Russian Ukrainian political party who were paying his consulting fees. "Paul Manafort has not deliberately misled or misled the IRS on his income … US citizens are not being sued for errors in their tax returns."

The government, he suggested, is eager to pass judgment.
The first witness called was not Gates but Tad Devine, a political adviser who was chief strategist of Bernie Sanders in the 2016 election and had previously worked with Manafort in Ukraine. The court received e-mails and invoices describing how Manafort and Devine were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Yanukovich's successful election campaign.

Devine said: "It was a huge amount of work and I must say that Paul worked harder than that." Manafort, 69, jailed for nearly two months, looked strained and stripped of his He wore a black suit, a white shirt, and a blue patterned tie, and seemed actively engaged in the proceedings, frequently consulting with his lawyers and taking notes, and at one point in the jury selection he turned to to give his wife a reassuring smile.

The trial is expected to last three weeks, and Manafort pleaded not guilty, with a second trial scheduled for September in the District of Columbia, alleging allegations that he was acting as Foreign agent not registered for Ukrainian interests and allegedly made false statements to the US Government.