Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s onetime campaign manager, was sentenced to 47 months in prison by a federal judge in Virginia today (March 7).
Manafort, 69, was convicted of eight counts of tax and bank fraud last year that stemmed from Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Manafort committed the crimes, some of which were tied to his firm’s work in the Ukraine, before he joined the Trump campaign. His activities provide a case study in how western elites help plunder young democracies, as Quartz wrote.
Mueller didn’t make any specific recommendations on how long Manafort should serve in his sentencing memo, which portrayed him as a bold and unrepentant criminal who lied to investigators even after he agreed to cooperate. He had faced up to 25 years.
Manafort, who once donned ostrich jackets and custom suits, wore a green prison jumpsuit and sat in a wheelchair. His health has deteriorated while jailed. “The last two years have been the most difficult years for my family and I,” Manafort told judge TS Ellis in an Alexandria courtroom. “Humiliated and shamed would be a gross understatement.”
The former political consultant known for his connections to kleptocrats and oligarchic fashion sense could end up behind bars for a longer period of time. He’s set to be sentenced for conspiracy and witness tampering next week.