Donald Trump’s former chairman Paul Manafort for campaign in 2016 was sentenced to jail for 47 months for committing bank and tax fraud.
A court in eastern district of Virginia pronounced the sentence. Paul has already spent 9 months in prison, so his term would in prison would be for more 38 months.
Manafort was convicted in 2018 for defrauding banks and the government, and for failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars in income he had earned from Ukrainian political consulting.
The sentence for such crimes is usually between 19 to 24 years, however since the court felt Manafort had no prior criminal history and had lived “an otherwise blameless life” his sentencing was reduced.
Apart from prison term the judge imposed a fine of US$ 50,000. He was also required to pay US$ 6 million for taxes never paid, which could go upwards upto US$ 25 million.
Manafort had surrendered plenty of homes to the federal government.
The 69 year old was convicted after prosecutors accused him of hiding from the US government millions of dollars he earned as a consultant for Ukraine’s former pro-Russia government.
He had bought ostrich and python jackets and luxury cars, and had souped up his Hamptons mansion with elaborate flowerbeds, home renovations and karaoke sets because of his secret Ukrainian stream of cash.
The Judge T.S. Ellis made it clear that the sentencing was not for anything related to interference in the 2016 elections.