Mueller considers new charges, another trial for Manafort
BY LYDIA WHEELER - 11/30/18 10:30 AM EST 21
A federal judge on Friday set March 5 as a target date to sentence Paul Manafort on two felony charges as special counsel Robert Muellerconsiders new charges and a possible new trial for President Trump's one-time campaign chairman.
District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she will likely hold a hearing in mid- or late-January to hear arguments over whether Manafort breached his plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
The government said they did not know yet if they plan to hold a trial on the other charges that were dropped as part of the agreement or file new charges stemming from his breach of the deal, keeping open the possibility of further legal troubles for Manafort.
Manafort agreed to plead guilty to charges related to his foreign lobbying work and fully cooperate with Mueller's team to avoid a second trial on charges stemming from the Russia probe. Manafort had been convicted of eight counts of bank and tax fraud following a criminal trial in Northern Virginia when he agreed to the plea deal.
But in a court filing Monday, Mueller said Manafort had “committed federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Counsel’s Office on a variety of subject matters.”
Manafort’s defense attorneys have denied the allegation, saying Manafort believes he has provided truthful information.
Given the dispute, both sides agreed that cooperation had reached an impasse and asked the judge not to delay sentencing.
Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Mueller’s team thinks Manafort lied about his communications with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former associate in Ukraine, who the FBI believes has intelligence ties to Russia.
Manafort, 69, did not to attend Friday's court hearing. He waived his rightto appear in court earlier this week.
He is facing at least 10 years in prison for his crimes.
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