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The defense team of Manafort pointed out in its sentencing memorandum that the special council office had not accused it of any unlawful coordination with Russian government officials in 2016, an important part of the Mueller investigation which, according to prosecutors, could have come from the extensive Ukrainian relations of Manafort.
"As it was said at the beginning of the case, there is no evidence of Russian collusion," Manafort's lawyers wrote to the court on Monday night.
Manafort's guilty plea included confessions that he orchestrated a money-laundering scheme and committed years of criminal activity as a lobbyist for Ukrainian politicians who had hidden millions of dollars from these money launderers. income to the federal government. The accusations and confessions did not affect his job as campaign president.
His defense lawyers claimed that Manafort would never have been subject to such harsh prosecutions without the appointment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017.
"In fact, it is fair to say that without the appointment of the special counsel and the decision of his office to prosecute Mr. Manafort for a violation of the rarely prosecuted FARA, Mr. Manafort would have not charged in the District of Columbia, "said the president. defense team writes.
Under Mueller, violations of Manafort's foreign lobbying "went from what was historically an administrative investigation and procedure to a federal criminal case and defendant's public defamation," the defense wrote.
"The Special Advocate's attempt to portray him as a perpetual and irremediable criminal is irreproachable and grossly overestimates the facts before this Court."
Fight for a lighter sentence
Manafort defense team presented Monday its argument in favor of the former Trump campaign director who would serve a sentence of less than 10 years when he receives his second criminal sentence next month from a federal judge .
In a sentencing note, the Manafort legal team also disclosed how the court's probation office had calculated that his crimes – including conspiracy and obstruction of justice – for which he was charged in the District Court of DC, deserved 15 to 20 years in prison. Manafort pleaded guilty to his crimes under a cooperation agreement.
"His case is not about murders, drug cartels, organized crime, Madoff Ponzi's ploy, or Enron's collapse," Manafort's defense lawyers wrote Monday. The mention of Enron attacks, in particular, leads prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who also led this important investigation.
"Basically, the charges against the defendant stem from a set of usable facts: Mr. Manafort earned substantial income by working as a political consultant in Ukraine, he did not tell the government the source and the total amount of income that he drew from these activities and he tried to conceal his actions from the authorities.He assumed all responsibility in pleading guilty to this conduct, "wrote Manafort's lawyers.
Manafort's lawyers are asking that his sentence in Washington coincide with Virginia's, for which prosecutors have applied for up to 25 years in jail, instead of having two consecutive sentences. He will be sentenced in Virginia by a federal judge on March 7 for eight convictions for financial fraud during a jury trial.
Manafort has been in jail since June 2018 for a falsification witness allegation that he admitted. He will turn 70 on April 1, leaving at least a jail sentence of twenty years or more, for which he will be jailed the rest of his life.
Family and friends implore clemency
The family and friends of Letters Manafort wrote on his behalf describing the former jailed political officer as a colleague and a prosperous, generous and empowering father – and as an asset to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
"Paul arrived at Trump's presidential campaign in early 2016, sincerely believing that he could help elect an extremely unconventional candidate to the GOP," wrote a friend and colleague, Doug Davenport, to Judge Amy Berman. Jackson. "He never deviated, day after day, from the only mission for which he had been invited: a solid operation for the delegates to the congress of the RNC and a secure nomination of the president of the GOP for Donald Trump. Paul was just a lightning rod going after for the detractors of the candidate – and now president – Trump. "
Manafort's lawyers say their client should be credited for his services to foreign countries as a lobbyist, in previous presidential administrations and during presidential campaigns, including that of Trump. They note that he did not receive a salary while he was working for Trump – an idea that prosecutors raised as suspicious throughout his record.
"Mr. Manafort has dedicated his life to promoting American democratic values and helping emerging democracies adopt the reforms needed to be part of Western society," his defense team wrote about his lobbying.
In other letters to the judge presented Monday, his wife, Kathleen, called it "the rock on which the family has been supporting for years".
"I like it a lot," she writes. She attended almost all the important hearings of her court and her three week criminal trial in the summer of 2018 for financial fraud, in which he was sentenced for the first time.
His daughter, other family members and a neighbor who had testified against him at his Virginia trial had also written to Jackson asking for their pardon. A friend explained how Manafort coached youth basketball players. Another described how Manafort had served as an altar at primary school.
Rick Gates, one of Manafort's closest colleagues, did not send a letter. This is not a surprise because he has turned against his former boss after also being charged by Mueller and testified against him at trial.
Manafort's health is in decline, especially since he's been suffering from gout in his right foot since he's in prison. When he last appeared in court, he walked with a cane. The defense team revealed at some point in the last eight months that Manafort had been treated at the Alexandria hospital. His lawyers note that doctors are studying a thyroid problem that he may have.
The complaint filed Monday night goes for the basics on the most notable developments since the conviction of Manafort last year: he lied to prosecutors during his cooperation talks and to a federal grand jury . His defense team said Monday he had told the truth during the "majority" of his 50 hours of interviews.
The conviction of Manafort in the DC case is scheduled for March 13.
This story has been updated.
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