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Rachel Weiner
A local reporter covers a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and a local court in Arlington and Alexandria.
Prosecutors with special advocate Robert S. Mueller III said Monday that Paul Manafort had violated his plea agreement by repeatedly lying while they were questioning him in the investigation of the case. Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Manafort denies it and both parties agree that the sentences should be fixed immediately.
The apparent collapse of the cooperation agreement between Manafort is the latest reversal of its situation. The long-time Republican consultant was sentenced to more than ten years behind bars after pleading guilty in September for cheating the Internal Revenue Service, violating foreign legislation in the area of Justice.
The court record indicated that Mueller's team had also suffered a potential setback, having accessed a witness potentially aware of several key events related to the investigation during his campaign with Trump's. March to August 2016, including a Trump Tower meeting attended by the Russian Attorney and the Republican National Convention.
[Manafort will cooperate with Mueller as part of guilty plea]
"After signing the plea agreement, Manafort committed federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and to the special council office on various topics, which constitute violations of the agreement," wrote the prosecutors. The Government will file a detailed sentencing proposal to the Probation Department and the Court prior to sentencing, specifying the nature of the accused's crimes and lies. "
Paul Manafort (Office of the Sheriff of Alexandria / Sheriff's Office of Alexandria)
Prosecutors did not specify the areas in which they claimed that Manafort had lied.
Manafort challenges this characterization; his lawyers write in the joint filing that he "provided information to the government in order to fulfill its obligations in terms of cooperation".
Manafort pleaded guilty on September 14, before his trial in Washington, to two charges – conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice – confessing years of financial crimes related to his unpaid lobbying activities. divulged in favor of a pro-Russian political party and politician in Ukraine.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Manafort is liable to a maximum term of imprisonment of approximately 10 years, not to mention his conviction in the month of August in Virginia for bank fraud fraud and tax. He was ordered to confiscate about $ 15 million that he had hidden from the Internal Revenue Service while allowing him to keep some property with family members.
[[[[From Count to Inmate: The Fall of Former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort]
Before the plea, the defenders of Manafort had long insisted that he would not cooperate with Mueller.
But in the pleadings, Manafort agreed to cooperate "fully and honestly" with the investigation conducted by the office of the special counsel, including by participating in interviews and debriefings, producing any document under his control, testifying and agreeing to postpone the sentence at a specific time. by the government.
In exchange for his cooperation, Manafort hoped that prosecutors would recommend clemency, possibly reducing his prison sentence by several years.
[Manafort is the fifth Trump campaign team member to plead guilty to criminal charges. Here’s what he’s charged with.]
The complaint was filed after Manafort had discussed in detail with prosecutors before his plea, and despite numerous visits from him and his lawyers from his prosecution.
Kevin Downing, a lawyer for Manafort, said at Manafort's call that this included a total cooperation agreement. "He wanted to make sure his family stays safe and leads a good life," Downing said outside the court gates. "He accepted responsibility."
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