Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

15 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

17 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

18 hours ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

19 hours ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

19 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

19 hours ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

19 hours ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

20 hours ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

2 days ago
Prosecutors: Paul Manafort Believed He Was Above the Law
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
August 1, 2018

Share

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Paul Manafort orchestrated a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to evade U.S. tax and banking laws, leaving behind a trail of lies as he lived a lavish lifestyle, prosecutors said Tuesday as they laid out their case against the former Trump campaign chairman.

“A man in this courtroom believed the law did not apply to him — not tax law, not banking law.” — Uzo Asonye, prosecutor
Prosecutor Uzo Asonye told the jury during his opening statement that Manafort considered himself above the law as he funneled tens of millions of dollars through offshore accounts. That “secret income” was used to pay for personal expenses such as a $21,000 watch, a $15,000 jacket made of ostrich and more than $6 million worth of real estate paid for in cash, Asonye said.
Asonye sketched out the evidence gathered by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in Manafort’s bank fraud and tax evasion trial.
Manafort’s trial is the first arising from Mueller’s investigation into potential ties between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. It opened with extraordinary anticipation amid unresolved questions about whether Trump associates coordinated with the Kremlin to tip the election in the president’s favor.

Work for the Trump Campaign Was Not Mentioned

But it was clear from the outset that the case would not address that question: Prosecutors did not once reference Manafort’s work for the Trump campaign nor mention Mueller’s broader and ongoing investigation into Russian election interference. Mueller was not present in the courtroom.
Manafort, the lone American charged by Mueller who has opted to stand trial instead of cooperate with prosecutors, was described by his defense lawyer as a hugely successful international political consultant who left the details of his finances to others.
He relied on a team of financial experts to keep track of the millions of dollars he earned from his Ukrainian political work and to ensure that that money was being properly reported, said attorney Thomas Zehnle. He especially trusted business associate Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty in Mueller’s investigation and is now the government’s star witness. But that trust was misplaced, Zehnle said in an opening statement that made clear that undermining the credibility of Gates — a former Trump campaign aide who spent years working for Manafort in Ukraine — is central to the defense strategy.

Gates Cannot Be Trusted

Zehnle warned jurors that Gates could not be trusted and was the type of witness who would say anything he could to save himself from a lengthy prison sentence and a crippling financial penalty.
“Money’s coming in fast. It’s a lot, and Paul Manafort trusted that Rick Gates was keeping track of it,” Zehnle said. “That’s what Rick Gates was being paid to do.”
Manafort, who has been jailed for nearly two months, wore a black suit and appeared fully engaged in his defense, whispering with his attorneys during jury selection and scribbling notes as the prosecution began its opening statement.
The trial, decided by a jury of six men and six women who were seated after a brief selection process Tuesday, is expected to last several weeks.
After opening statements, the jury heard from the government’s first witness, Democratic strategist Tad Devine, who testified about his collaborations with Manafort on behalf of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions. Devine testified that Manafort ran a tightly disciplined, professional campaign that contributed to his candidate’s victory.

Courtroom sketch of Manafort Trial
This courtroom sketch depicts Paul Manafort with his lawyers, the jury, and the U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, listening to Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye, during opening arguments in the trial. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

Manafort Funneled Millions of Dollars

Central to the government’s case are allegations that Manafort funneled more than $60 million in proceeds from his Ukrainian political consulting through offshore accounts, including in Cyprus, and hid a “significant” portion of it from the IRS. He created “bogus” loans, falsified documents and lied to his tax preparer and bookkeeper to conceal the money, which he obtained from Ukrainian oligarchs through a series of shell company transfers and later from fraudulently obtained bank loans in the U.S., prosecutors said.
But Zehnle said there was no evidence that Manafort ever intended to deceive the IRS. He denied allegations that Manafort had tried to conceal his earnings by storing money in bank accounts in Cyprus, saying that arrangement was not of Manafort’s doing but was instead the preferred method of payment of the supporters of the pro-Russia Ukrainian political party who were paying his consulting fees.
Defense lawyers also sought to address head-on Manafort’s wealth and the images of a gaudy lifestyle that jurors are expected to see.

“Paul Manafort travels in circles that most people will never know and he’s gotten handsomely rewarded for it. We do not dispute that.”Thomas Zehnle, attorney
Earlier, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III interrupted the prosecutor during his opening statement to caution him against suggesting there was something criminal about being a multimillionaire.
“It isn’t a crime to have a lot of money and be profligate in your spending,” the judge said.
Though prosecutors made no reference to Trump nor discussed in any way Manafort’s leadership of the Trump campaign, Manafort’s case is nonetheless widely viewed as a test to the legitimacy of Mueller’s ongoing probe, which Trump has dismissed as a “witch hunt.”
“There was No Collusion (except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats)!” Trump tweeted early Tuesday.
Manafort has a second trial scheduled for September in the District of Columbia. It involves allegations that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukrainian interests and made false statements to the U.S. government.
The other 31 people charged by Mueller so far have either pleaded guilty or are Russians seen as unlikely to enter an American courtroom. Three Russian companies have also been charged.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

DON'T MISS

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

DON'T MISS

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

DON'T MISS

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

DON'T MISS

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

DON'T MISS

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

DON'T MISS

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

DON'T MISS

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Michael Whatley, RNC Chair, to Run for Senate in North Carolina

UP NEXT

Video-Sharing App Vine Is Returning ‘in AI Form’, Musk Says

UP NEXT

CBS News Taps Tanya Simon as New Boss of ’60 Minutes’ After Trump Lawsuit

UP NEXT

Justice Department to Assess Claims of ‘Alleged Weaponization’ of US Intelligence Community

UP NEXT

White House Not Denying That Trump’s Name Appears in Epstein Files, Official Says

UP NEXT

White House Taps Mining Expert to Head National Security Office, Sources Say

UP NEXT

White House Says WSJ Report on Trump Being Told Name in Epstein Files “Fake News”

UP NEXT

US Judge Rejects Bid to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts From Florida Probe

UP NEXT

US Republicans Continue Push to Override California Animal Welfare Law

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

12 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

12 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

13 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

13 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

13 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

13 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

14 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

14 hours ago

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

15 hours ago

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

15 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Fresno State’s first football practice of 2025 began with a flyover. While the military jet’s path may have been coincidental, t...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Miguel Lara, a Hoover High School soccer coach, was arrested Thursday for possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
10 hours ago

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

10 hours ago

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

12 hours ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
12 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

13 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

13 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, looks on, before President Trump signs the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend