Special counsel Robert Mueller's office recommends that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort serve a sentence of 19.5 to 24.5 years in prison after being convicted of eight financial crimes in Virginia.
The sentencing memorandum also recommended a fine of up to $24 million.
Though Mueller’s office did not recommend a precise sentence for Manafort, prosecutors said they agreed with a calculation by federal probation officials that his crimes deserve a punishment of between 19 and 24 years. They also lay out in great detail for U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III how they say Manafort’s greed drove him to disregard American law.
“In the end, Manafort acted for more than a decade as if he were above the law, and deprived the federal government and various financial institutions of millions of dollars,” the prosecutors wrote. “The sentence here should reflect the seriousness of these crimes, and serve to both deter Manafort and others from engaging in such conduct.”
Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled Manafort not only lied to Mueller’s team, he made false statements after agreeing to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office, according to court documents.
The judge also found that Manafort lied in statements to investigators and the grand jury about finances related to a pro-Trump super PAC, that he lied about his communications with alleged Russian intelligence agent Konstantin Kilimnik and that he lied about information in another Justice Department investigation, among other false statements.
Credit: Andrew Harnik
Credit: Andrew Harnik
Manafort’s attorneys have denied any wrongdoing. Officials said he’s turned over access to his electronic devices and email accounts as part of his cooperation.
>> MORE: Paul Manafort appears in court after allegedly lying to investigators
Last month, defense attorneys said Manafort has been kept in solitary confinement for his own safety. He’s had severe gout for several months of his incarceration, according to his attorneys, and it’s sometimes been severe enough to require that he use a wheelchair.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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