Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort
Born:	1949-04-01 New Britain, Connecticut
Charges:	Tax fraud, bank fraud, failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, conspiracy, obstruction of justice
Sentence:	7.5 years (pardoned)
Facility:	FCI Loretto
Status:	Pardoned (2020)

Paul John Manafort Jr. (born April 1, 1949) is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and convicted felon who served as campaign chairman for Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Manafort was convicted of tax fraud, bank fraud, and other financial crimes uncovered during Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He was sentenced to approximately 7.5 years in federal prison but received a full pardon from President Trump on December 23, 2020.

Early Life and Education

Paul Manafort was born on April 1, 1949, in New Britain, Connecticut. His father, Paul Manafort Sr., was a local politician who served as mayor of New Britain. Manafort graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelors degree in business administration in 1971 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.

Political Consulting Career

Manafort began his political career working on the 1976 presidential campaign of Gerald Ford. In 1980, he co-founded the lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly with Roger Stone, Charles Black, and Peter Kelly. The firm became one of Washingtons most influential lobbying operations during the 1980s and 1990s.

International Consulting

Manafort became known for his work advising foreign political figures and governments, including controversial clients. He advised Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, and various other international figures.

Most significantly for his later legal troubles, Manafort worked extensively in Ukraine beginning in 2004, advising Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions. Yanukovych was elected President of Ukraine in 2010 but fled to Russia in 2014 following the Euromaidan protests. Manaforts work in Ukraine generated millions of dollars in income that became central to his federal prosecution.

Trump Campaign

In March 2016, Manafort joined Donald Trumps presidential campaign. In June 2016, he was promoted to campaign chairman and chief strategist. He oversaw the campaign through the Republican National Convention in July 2016.

In August 2016, Manafort resigned from the campaign amid scrutiny of his Ukrainian consulting work and questions about his financial dealings.

Special Counsel Investigation

Indictment

In October 2017, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted Manafort and his longtime business associate Rick Gates on charges including conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, acting as unregistered agents of a foreign principal, making false statements, and other charges related to their Ukrainian consulting work.

Gates pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Manafort chose to go to trial.

Virginia Trial and Conviction

Manafort stood trial in the Eastern District of Virginia on 18 counts including tax evasion, bank fraud, and failure to report foreign bank accounts. On August 21, 2018, the jury convicted Manafort on eight counts:

• Five counts of tax fraud
• One count of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts
• Two counts of bank fraud

The jury could not reach a verdict on the remaining ten counts, and Judge T.S. Ellis declared a mistrial on those charges.

District of Columbia Guilty Plea

In September 2018, rather than face a second trial in Washington, D.C., Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsels investigation.

However, in November 2018, prosecutors alleged that Manafort had breached his cooperation agreement by lying to investigators about multiple matters related to the investigation.

Sentencing

In March 2019, Manafort was sentenced in two separate proceedings:

In Virginia, Judge T.S. Ellis sentenced Manafort to 47 months in federal prison on the bank and tax fraud convictions—significantly below the federal sentencing guidelines range of 19 to 24 years.

In Washington, D.C., Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Manafort to an additional 73 months, with 30 months to run concurrently with the Virginia sentence. Judge Jackson stated that Manafort was not a victim but rather someone who spent years gaming the system.

The combined sentences totaled approximately 7.5 years in federal prison—the longest sentence of any individual prosecuted in the Mueller investigation.

Incarceration

Manafort was initially held at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia before being transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution Loretto (FCI Loretto) in Pennsylvania.

In May 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Manafort was released to home confinement due to concerns about coronavirus in federal prisons.

Presidential Pardon

On December 23, 2020, President Trump granted Manafort a full pardon, one month before leaving office.

The White House characterized the prosecution as "blatant prosecutorial overreach" and called Manafort "one of the most prominent victims of what has been revealed to be perhaps the greatest witch hunt in American history."

The pardon wiped away Manaforts federal convictions but did not affect potential state charges. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office had pursued state charges against Manafort, but in February 2021, the New York Court of Appeals declined to hear the prosecutors appeal of a lower court ruling that dismissed the case on double jeopardy grounds.

Related Cases

• Rick Gates - Manaforts longtime business partner, who pleaded guilty and cooperated extensively with prosecutors.
• Roger Stone - Political consultant pardoned by Trump on the same day as Manafort.
• Michael Cohen - Former Trump attorney who was also prosecuted during the Mueller investigation.