The memo makes the same collusion allegation regarding former Trump campaign volunteer George Papadopolous, and also asks Mueller to look into whether he was an unregistered agent of the government of Israel. Like other Americans close to the president charged in the Mueller probe, Manafort hasn't been accused of involvement in Russian election interference.Mueller also was tasked with investigating whether former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort likewise colluded with the Russian government, whether he committed crimes related to his work in Ukraine, and whether he committed a crime by taking loans from a bank CEO who was pursuing a job in the Trump administration. The meeting involved a discussion of a Ukrainian peace plan, but prosecutors haven't said exactly what has captured their attention and whether it factors into the Kremlin's attempts to help Trump in the 2016 election. A Mueller prosecutor also said earlier this month that an August 2016 meeting between Manafort and Kilimnik goes to the "heart" of the Russia probe. ![]() In recent weeks, court papers have revealed that Manafort shared polling data related to the Trump campaign with Kilimnik. Prosecutors originally filed a sealed sentencing memo on Friday, but the document was made public on Saturday with certain information still redacted, or blacked out. Prosecutors note that the federal guidelines recommend a sentence of more than 17 years, but Manafort pleaded guilty last year to two felony counts that carry maximum sentences of five years each. Mueller's team endorsed a sentence of between 19.5 and 24.5 years in prison in that case. The sentencing memo comes as Manafort, who led Donald Trump's 2016 campaign for several critical months, is already facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison in a separate tax and bank fraud case in Virginia. But within weeks, prosecutors say he repeatedly lied to investigators, including about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a business associate who the U.S. As part of that plea, he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's team, a move that could have helped him avoid a longer prison sentence. Manafort pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy arising from his Ukrainian political consulting work and his efforts to tamper with witnesses. Manafort's case has played out in stark contrast to those of other defendants in the Russia investigation, such as former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who prosecutors praised for his cooperation and left open the possibility of no jail time. ![]() Overall, Mueller has produced charges against 34 individuals, including six former Trump aides, and three companies. He and his longtime business partner, Rick Gates, were the first two people indicted in the special counsel's investigation. Manafort, who has been jailed for months and turns 70 in April, will have a chance to file his own sentencing recommendation next week. ![]() ![]() The 25-page memo, filed in federal court in Washington, is likely the last major filing by prosecutors as Manafort heads into his sentencing hearings next month and as Mueller's investigation approaches a conclusion. "His crimes continued up through the time he was first indicted in October 2017 and remarkably went unabated even after indictment."Ĭiting Manafort's lies to the FBI, several government agencies and his own lawyer, prosecutors said that "upon release from jail, Manafort presents a grave risk of recidivism." "For over a decade, Manafort repeatedly and brazenly violated the law," prosecutors wrote.
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