Manafort Sentenced To 43 More Months Of Prison Time, Indicted On New Criminal Charges In New York

Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's presidential campiagn, was sentenced to an additional 3 1/2 years in prison by a federal judge Wednesday — and hit with a new criminal indictment minutes later.

What Happened 

Manafort was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Jackson to an additional 43 months in prison on conspiracy charges. This will be added on to the 47 months from his first sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis in the Eastern District of Virginia, for a total of 90 months, or 7 1/2 years, in prison minus nine months credit for time served.  

The 69-year-old was also charged Wednesday in a 16-count New York grand jury indictment alleging mortgage fraud, falsifying of business records and conspiracy, the Washington Post reported. 

Manafort struck a plea deal in September of 2018 on charges of money laundering, tax fraud and illegal foreign lobbying. He pleaded guilty to two criminal charges: conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy witness tampering.

A contrite Manafort apologized to the court in a personal statement Wednesday and said: "I am sorry for what I have done; let me be very clear, I accept the responsibility for the acts that caused me to be here today."

Why It's Important

Manafort's crimes span several years, but do not touch on his work as Trump's campaign chairman. His admitted scheme involved Trump's deputy campaign manager Rick Gates and Russian associate Konstantin Kilimnik and took in more than $60 million.

What's Next

While Trump could potentially pardon Manafort from his federal sentence, the new charges in New York are in state court and therefore would not be covered by a presidential pardon if Manafort is convicted in the case. 

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