Manafort witness list reveals roadmap for prosecutors



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The list of 35 men and women does not include any household names, but provides a roadmap of the case that the government is likely to present against the former president of the Trump campaign next week, including possible testimonials from business partners and luxury outfitters.

Manafort faces charges of tax evasion and bank fraud in a jury trial scheduled to begin Tuesday. He Pleaded Not Guilty to Charges

Rick Gates, the former partner of Manafort and Donald Trump's campaign MP, is on the list and should be one of the key witnesses of the campaign. case.

Originally accused alongside Manafort, but returned to his long-time partner and pleaded guilty earlier this year to participating in a vast conspiracy with Manafort to launder millions of dollars and deceive the US government. As part of his deal, Gates agreed to cooperate with Mueller, and prosecutors said earlier this week that he would play a leading role in their case.

Prosecutors alleged that Manafort and Gates worked hand-in-hand to defraud banks and avoid paying taxes on their extraterritorial funds. At trial, Gates could provide the jurors with a convincing first-hand account of how Manafort violated these laws. Gates is the only former head of Trump's campaign on the witness list, although his testimony should not relate to his work on the 2016 elections.

Tad Devine, Vermont Sen's former chief strategist Bernie is also on the list. 2016 Sanders Presidential Campaign. Prosecutors earlier this week revealed documents showing Devine's work alongside Manafort as a political consultant in Ukraine.

Prosecutors said that Manafort's work in Ukraine to help elect former president Viktor Yanukovych is "at the heart" of the bank fraud charges he faces.

In a statement, Julian Mulvey, another partner appointed to Devine's consulting firm, testified that Devine testified as a "factual witness" and that his firm was provided by Mueller's office. they "did not act illegally".

"The special advisor asked Tad Devine to appear and testify about the media's consultation work on past political campaigns in Ukraine," said Mulvey. "We are pleased to contribute to the important investigative work of this investigation to obtain justice and protect our democracy."

Devine was not charged with any wrongdoing.

Daniel Rabin, a longtime democracy lover, is also named to the list. The government exhibition lists show that he exchanged emails with Manafort, Gates and Devine about working in Ukraine. He was also not charged with wrongdoing, and CNN asked him for his opinion.

Earlier this week, Manafort's lawyers asked the judge at his next trial to exclude dozens of exhibits related to his years of working in Ukraine. In a filing filed Thursday at the Federal Court of Virginia, Manafort's lawyers listed more than 50 government pieces that they described as "irrelevant, prejudicial and unnecessarily lengthy".

Prosecutors are expected to respond to the filing on Monday. They told the judge earlier this week that the exhibitions would help demonstrate the close relationship between Manafort and his Russian benefactors in Ukraine.

Several of the other names included as potential witnesses appear to be working for companies that Manafort would have purchased for millions of dollars of luxury goods and services, with the money that prosecutors say they handled illegally.

York Yankees, a high fashion man and a Mercedes Benz salesman all seem to be on the government's witness list, as are those involved in the renovation of some of Manafort's upscale homes in New York.

Five people who are linked to financial institutions and real estate transactions carried out by Manafort, who this week had been authorized by the judge to supervise the case to testify with immunity, are also on the list.

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