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Paul Manafort, former president of President Trump's campaign, is tried by a federal court in Alexandria for charges of bank and tax fraud. Prosecutors allege that he failed to pay taxes on the millions of dollars that he paid for a Ukrainian-friendly political party in Russia, and then lied to get loans when the money was stopped entering.
in the 2016 US presidential election. We will have live coverage of the trial. Follow our updates here.
JURY | KEY PLAYERS | DECLARATION OF OPENING THE PROSECUTION | DECLARATION OF OPENING OF THE DEFENSE | TIME
17:04: Devine describes how he came to work with Manafort in Ukraine
Tad Devine, who was Bernie Sanders' chief strategist in the 2016 elections, explained to the jurors how he came to work with Paul Manafort in Ukraine. He said his partner, Mike Donilon, was contacted in 2005 by Manafort partner Richard Gates to work for the Party of Regions, a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.
Devine said that he worked in nine countries, and at the time was coming from an international campaign. Donin, says Devine, was busy with a domestic project, so Devine took the lead and went to Kiev
"Although I do not know the culture or other things in a country, I am very familiar with campaigns. "Devine said he's specialized in TV commercials.
Devine said that he worked in Ukraine from 2005 to 2010 and returned briefly for a project in 2014. "It was an incredible operation," he said. . Manafort had hired some great people, he said, and had "substantial resources … I was really impressed by him."
On the importance of financial support, he said: "If you do not have a lot of resources, how do you win?"
The fallen president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych , in a photo of 2016. (AP)
Devine said she learned by talking to people on her first trip that there had been "a lot of controversy" in Ukraine, including a revolution that forced Viktor Yanukovych, who was part of the Party of Regions, of power
But he said that people "thought that Yanukovich had moved and lost many people with him" that were controversial, that it was "a new election and a new era. " Yanukovych's position "was low"
Yanukovych became "a part of the future" – he was elected prime minister in 2006 – because of "the excellent campaign that Paul led" said Devine. Devine described his relationship with Manafort as "friendly" and said he has submitted numerous documents earlier this year in response to a summons. Devine's testimony is important because it is the work in Ukraine that prosecutors say to fund the lavish lifestyle of Manafort. They say that Manafort has not correctly reported or paid taxes what it has earned overseas, and when Yanukovych was forced to power, Manafort's money flow was cut off, causing some of his later bank fraud
witness: former adviser to Bernie Sanders Tad Devine
The government called its first witness: Tad Devine, the architect of the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. Devine has also worked closely with Paul Manafort as a political consultant in Ukraine, a striking demonstration of how American policy advisers from across the spectrum are bringing their expertise to the world, where they earn a lot of money. money to advise foreign candidates. What Manafort was doing exactly during his years in Ukraine
[ Bernie Sanders strategist, Tad Devine, was to testify against Paul Manafort]
16h24: The defense ends its opening statement
Zehnle returns to Gates in the last part of his opening statement, highlighting many of the same themes that he had already tried to convey to the jurors. Manafort shifted his trust in Gates, said Zehnle, and Manafort's partner essentially cheated Manafort, who was busy conducting political campaigns and consulting work in Ukraine.
Gates had to keep track of the money circulating Zehnle said: "Rick Gates kept his name on the Cypriot account to be able to control the money," Zehnle said. 19659024] Zehnle said prosecutors would try to assert their point of view by cutting off the luxurious lifestyle that Manafort's work had offered him, but that was not proof that a crime had actually occurred place. "He said that his client lived a life" which most people could only dream of, "Zehnle added:
Zehnle implored the jury not to dazzle by costly tailor-made costumes, Range Rovers, tickets of sport and other luxury items, saying that they looked like them before He then returned one last time to Gates
"The money arrives fast, and c & rsquo; Was a lot, "said Zehnle." Paul Manafort was confident that Rick Gates was tracking it. "
Zehnle said that Manafort was open with banks about why he was looking for loans. from what prosecutors said about Manafort falsifying information, Zehnle said the banks had finally received all the requested documentation before making the loan
4:11 pm: The defense accuses Gates of misappropriation of Manafort
on the subject of Richard Gates at several r that Manafort's protégé and partner had reached an agreement to lie on Manafort's actions to hide his own misdeeds. Zehnle said that Gates even lied to federal investigators in the process of negotiating his plea agreement.
Notably, Zehnle also accused Gates for the first time of embezzling millions of dollars of Manafort's business to then conceal the revenues. "Rick Gates had his hand in the cookie jar and he could not risk his boss finding out," Zehnle said.
Other people involved in Manafort's finances – bookkeepers and accountants – were not talking to each other. they should have, Zehnle said, because Gates prevented them from doing it.
A Gates lawyer did not return messages seeking comment.
Zehnle said government witnesses would support Manafort's account. Amanda Metzler, for example, was Manafort's internal accountant and gave information to their tax accountants. "She knew about offshore companies, none of which was hidden from her," said Zehnle, "He was open and transparent."
Zehnle said the company was composed of "a very small staff generating significant revenue "and that the finances were" complicated. "He said that Gates was dealing with" income, expenses, loans and as … Rick Gates was the contact person for the whole day. "
The company said $ 92 million in revenue from 2005 to 2015, Zehnle said, and Manafort alone reported $ 30 million in that period." The defense says that Manafort has never deliberately deceived the IRS
Defense lawyer Thomas Zehnle said that Paul Manfort's unusual financial arrangements, including bank accounts in Cyprus, came from the Ukrainian people who financed the work of Manafort. Zehnle said that Manafort had never deliberately cheated the IRS on his earnings, but that he was not realizing that he had to fill out certain forms and make certain statements
"This n & rsquo; Is not a case where someone flew to Switzerland and hid money in an account "Zehnle said.
Zehnle said that four years ago, Manafort was deliberately met with FBI agents who were investigating misuse of funds in Ukraine He said that the real reason that the special advocate was pursuing the case was because of the former partner of Manafort.
"We are mainly here because of a man: Rick Gates," Zehnle
15:53: Manafort reveals the defense: Blame Richard Gates
For months we have heard parts of the Government case against Paul Manafort. Now we know his defense: blame Richard Gates, his former associate and deputy.
"This case concerns taxes and trust," said defense lawyer Thomas Zehnle to the jury. "Mr. Manafort put his trust in the wrong person … Rick Gates."
Gates, Zehnle noted, has already pleaded guilty to lying to the US government, but prosecutors are now telling a jury to believe his testimony.
two sides to each story; Zehnle sought to humanize Manafort, asking him to stand up and saying that he was "proud" to represent him.
He said that Manafort was a "talented political consultant". second-generation immigrant and the first of his family to go to university. He has been "at the top of American politics for forty years," said Zehnle, and "driving force in the candidacy of several US presidents."
For this, he said, "Paul Manafort rendered a valuable service to our system of government."
At that time, Judge TS Ellis III interrupted Zehnle while he had Assistant US Attorney Uzo Asonye, asking him: "I guess you have the intention to offer evidence?" Ellis told the defense attorney to stick to what would be shown.
This work was not partisan, said Zehnle, pointing out that Tad Devine, a former strategist for Senator Bernie Sanders (I -Vt.), Will also testify of his work in Ukraine
The Work Manafort's Yanukovych was to "bring the country closer to Western democracies after decades of Soviet domination" – to the European Union and away from Russia, said Zehnle.
15:47: The Prosecution completes the opening statement
US Attorney General Uzo Asonye noted that the defense team of Paul Manafort could try to d & # 39; attack the credibility of key witnesses, including his ex-business partner Richard Gates, who served as vice president of the Trump campaign. But Asonye noted that these witnesses are the people with whom Manafort chose to surround him.
To conclude, Asonye introduced other members of the Special Advisor team. At the end of the trial, he said, they will ask the jury to send a message to Paul Manafort: "To clarify that it is not above the laws, that the rules Apply to him. "
Manafort's lawyer began
15:45: "He created money from scratch": What prosecutors say about Manafort when his Ukrainian benefactor fell from power
L & M American lawyer Uzo Asonye said that Paul Manafort was cheating on a tax preparer, but an accountant too. Manafort has hidden millions of dollars in the accounts and transactions of the accountant to keep his financial transactions under wraps, said Asonye. He said that part of Manafort's wealth remains hidden and untaxed to this day.
Manafort also created simulated loans from offshore accounts, Asonye said. Loans totaled millions of dollars and many came from accounts in Cyprus. Asonye said Manafort has never made a single loan payment on these loans. In all, between 2010 and 2014, Manafort failed to report $ 15 million in revenue to the IRS, Asonye said.
In 2014, Asonye said that the "money tap" of Manafort had been eradicated by the Ukrainian candidate Viktor Yanukovych. pay Manafort for political work, fled this country to Russia. Asonye said that Yanukovych had been "golden goose" of Manafort.
Manafort then turned his attention to falsified records to obtain loans from various banks. Asonye said Manafort made a false statement of his income and hid his debt in order to get the banks to approve the loans. In fact, the Manafort company did not report any profits in 2016.
"He created cash," Asonye said.
Asonye stated that Manafort actively participated in its financial fraud, paying particular attention to Asonye's filing said:
15:33: A $ 15,000 jacket "made of an ostrich"
US Attorney General Uzo Asonye offered new figures and new details on Paul Manafort's income and expenses, claiming that the $ 60 million he's made in Ukraine was only between 2010 and 2014. It had thirty bank accounts in three foreign countries, explained Asonye, paid by Ukrainian oligarchs.
Manafort signed papers and wrote emails stating that he controlled these accounts, said Asonye, and used them for "purely personal" expenses. He said that Manafort paid his tax accountants $ 10,000 a year. He stated that his income was not counted.
"It was all deliberate," Asonye said. "Paul Manafort was aware of the law."
But the most particular new detail he offered was Manafort's expenses, explaining how the lobbyist had spent so much on men's fashion. He had a $ 15,000 jacket, said Asonye, "made from an ostrich."
[ Federal Attorneys List Evidence They Can Use at Paul Manafort's Trial in Virginia]
15:22: Judge Urges Attorney to Stick to Evidence in Statement
Twice that US Attorney's Assistant Uzo Asonye began, he was reprimanded by Judge TS Ellis III should not argue in his opening statement, but rather explain to the jury only what that the evidence will show.
At one point, while Asonye was defying Manafort's costly spending habits, Ellis rushed to retort: He asked the prosecutor to stick to evidence of deeds reprehensible criminals.
But Asonye quickly put his feet under him and began to expose to the jury what he said the evidence will show in Paul Manafort's case
The evidence, Asonye says, will show that Manafort has earned millions and millions, but did not use that money to do "what Americans do every year – pay taxes that he owed." He told Manafort Revenue Service about what he owed, then lied when he had foreign bank accounts and finally lied to the banks to obtain loans when his consulting earnings in Ukraine dried up, from 2015. Asonye said that all the charges in the case boil down to simple problem: Pa ul Manafort lied. "
15:08:" He got what he wanted ": Early statements at the trial of Manafort
The US assistant Uzo Asonye began making statements around 3 pm by pointing out what he described as the extravagance and indifference of Paul Manafort to the law.
"A man in this audience room believed that the law does not he did not apply to it, "said Asonye, without using the name of Manafort, Asonye said that the former president of Trump had" collected more than $ 60 million "and used" front companies and foreign bank accounts, hiding it from US authorities and funding his "He listed the properties of Manafort, which he said included" a $ 2 million house just a stone's throw from this audience hall in the north from Virginia.
"He got everything he wanted," says Asonye. 14:29: Who's who at the trial
The former Trump campaign director, Paul Manafort, is shown in a sketch of the court, since he sits in federal court on the first day of his trial for fraud banking and tax. (REUTERS / Bill Hennessy)
At present, most people know the man on the test: Paul Manafort, who served as chairman of President Trump's campaign in May as of August 2016. Manafort is a veteran of Washington political circles. Trump seemed to be an effort to plunge back into this scene. He helped Gerald Ford win the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1976, and then worked as an adviser to the convention in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign. He ran the congress operations for GOP presidential candidate Robert J. Dole in the mid-1990s.
At the Manafort trial, however, many others will take on leading roles. Here is an overview of some of the key players in the hearing room drama, and if you are interested in a more complete list, you can find here
Judge TS Ellis III presides over the naturalization ceremony at National Cemetery. # 39; Arlington. Staff. (Tracy A. Woodward / The Washington Post)
Judge T.S. Ellis III – Ellis is the federal judge in the eastern district of Virginia presiding over the Manafort case. Named by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, Ellis is no stranger to high-profile cases. He oversaw the advocacy and condemnation of John Walker Lindh, a sympathizer of the US Taliban, as well as a case involving government secrets leaked to a pro-Israel lobby group and an Israeli official. He is well known at the Alexandria courthouse for telling colorful personal stories on the bench and asked in-depth questions to all who appear before him
Richard Gates – Gates is the only one in the world. former partner of Manafort. go to trial himself pleading guilty to conspiracy and lying to the FBI. He will be one of the star witnesses of the prosecutors because he was at the center of much of what prosecutors say is the fraudulent conduct of Manafort
Viktor Yanukovych – Yanukovych is the candidate pro-Russian policy in Ukraine for which Manafort worked. and makes tens of millions of dollars. Konstantin Kilimnik – Kilimnik ran the Manafort office in Kiev, Ukraine, during the 10 years that Manafort worked as a consultant. He also served in the Russian army and learned English in a military school that some experts consider a training ground for Russian spies. Prosecutors say that he has links with Russian secret services, according to court documents, which Kilimnik denied. His name appears on many e-mails prosecutors hope to show at the trial detailing the work of Manafort in Ukraine from 2005 to 2014.
Tad Devine – Devine is a Democratic strategist who worked with Manafort on rehabilitation and Election of Yanukovych in 2010. He should testify against in the course of prosecutions brought by the prosecutors against Manafort
2:18 pm: How the jurors were chosen
The six men and six women who will decide if Former President of Trump's Campaign is Guilty of Several The crimes were selected from about 60 prospective jurors from northern Virginia who appeared in court on Tuesday. The group was part of a larger group of prospective jurors who had answered written questions regarding their knowledge of the case and their ability to put aside that knowledge. Judge T.S. Ellis III had already rejected more than three dozen people because they had competing obligations or indicated that they could not be impartial.
[ The jury sits in the Paul Manafort trial, six men and six women]
the jurors' knowledge and possible opinions on the case, as well as any personal experience likely to color their thinking. One of the first indications of the composition of the jury came when Ellis asked the group if anyone knew anybody from the Department of Justice or had any business with the department. Nine hands rose.
"Oh, my God," joked the judge at one point. "I will not ask this question again."
The jurors who raised their hands explained in turn their links with the Department of Justice. It is not surprising for Northern Virginia, many said that they were working in government or had connections with it. A woman worked in the civil section of the department for two years. Another man told the judge that he was an employee of the Ministry of Energy who had dealings with lawyers at the Department of Justice. Another woman said that she was a lawyer at the Federal Communications Commission for 31 years and that she also had relationships with the department.
The nine people who said they had links with the department said that it would not affect their
In addition to 12 people chosen to serve on the jury, the parties chose three women and one man to serve as substitutes.
14h02: Opening statements are about to begin
Prosecutors and defense lawyers will make opening statements in the case at 2:45 pm. Deputy Attorney Uzo Asonye, a district attorney for fraud in the Eastern District of Virginia, who was brought to help the special advocate team with the prosecution, will speak to on behalf of the government. He is known to have put the Norfolk Treasurer behind bars, as well as a senior official of the General Services Administration and a former staff member of a senator
Thomas Zehnle, who worked as a tax attorney federal before entering the law, will speak for the defense of Paul Manafort. He was acquitted in 2013 for a lawyer in a tax shelter conspiracy case involving KPMG
Each statement should take half an hour
Just before 2 pm , prosecutors and defense lawyers finalized the 12 men and women who will serve as jurors, as well as four substitutes. The jury is composed of six men and six women. The substitutes are three women and one man.
1:50 pm: What you need to know at the beginning of the trial
Paul Manafort, who He was president of President Trump's campaign from May to May August 2016. He is the first to be tried in a case handled by prosecutors working with the special lawyer Robert S. Mueller III while he is investigating the Russian interference in the election Presidential election of 2016.
Manafort is accused of taking the money that he made work for a Ukrainian political party backed by Russia and hide it in foreign bank accounts to avoid paying taxes, and then turn to bank fraud when the party collapsed. played a role in the Russian interference in the 2016 elections. But many of the businessmen and politicians with whom they worked have deep ties with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prosecutors want to show memos, advertising campaigns, political rallying plans and other work. that he made more than 60 million dollars on the Party of Regions and his leader, Viktor Yanukovych, between 2005 and 2014.
This ended in a wave of demonstrations against Yanukovych and his rejection of an association agreement with the European Union in favor of a closer relationship with Russia. As of 2014, Manafort lied about its income and debt for getting multi-million dollar loans, according to prosecutors, including a loan from a Chicago banker who wanted a job in the Trump campaign and administration.
There are 18 counts against Manafort, who is also facing related charges in Washington, DC His former business partner Richard Gates, accused of helping Manafort to commit fraud , pleaded guilty plans to testify for the prosecution.
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