Manafort asks judge for sentence far in the maximum: court filing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort asked a federal judge in Washington on Monday to impose a prison term “significantly below” the statutory 10-year maximum, saying he was remorseful for his misdeeds and facing deteriorating health.
Manafort, 69, the person due to be sentenced on March 13, pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington last September to conspiracy against the United States – an electric power charge that includes a selection conduct from money laundering to unregistered lobbying for any pro-Russia Ukrainian government – and conspiracy to obstruct justice for attempts to tamper with witnesses.
He could be sentenced up to five-years for each count, on a statutory a lot more 10 years.
“We respectfully request that the Court impose a sentence
significantly in the statutory maximum sentence normally,” Manafort’s lawyers said during the filing on Monday night.
“Mr. Manafort has long been punished substantially, such as forfeiture of most of his assets,” the lawyers added. “Considering his age and health concerns, a significant additional amount of incarceration probably will amount to an existence sentence for your first time offender.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team said within a filing on Saturday that Manafort “repeatedly and brazenly” broke regulations, and argued he decided not to deserve leniency at sentencing. [nL1N20I0CC]
While Mueller did not recommend a specific sentence, he portrayed Manafort as being a “hardened” criminal who had been at risk of repeating criminal behavior if released from prison.
Despite Manafort’s agreement to plead guilty and cooperate, Mueller’s team in November accused Manafort of violating the agreement by lying repeatedly to prosecutors on subjects including his interactions along with a business partner they need said has ties to Russian intelligence.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled recently that Manafort had breached the sale.
Manafort’s attorneys on Monday disputed prosecutors’ characterization with their client as the brazen criminal.
“This situation is not about murder, drug cartels, organized crime, the Madoff Ponzi scheme or even the collapse of Enron,” they wrote.
Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2019 U.S. presidential election and any collusion between Russia along with the campaign of President Mr . trump.
Russia denies attempting to interfere within the election, and Trump says his team could not collude with Moscow.
In Monday’s filing, Manafort’s lawyers stressed that this client is not charged with Russian collusion.
They also provided the judge with quotes from multiple character witnesses, including Manafort’s wife, Kathleen, and daughter Andrea Shand, who said her father is “a classic good man” the person “worthy of forgiveness.”
It don’t cite any letters from Manafort’s other daughter, Jessica Manafort, with since legally changed her last name to Bond.
Manafort could be because of be sentenced on March 8 in a very separate case in Alexandria, Virginia. He faces nearly 25 years imprisonment under federal sentencing guidelines in this case, in which he was convicted just last year of financial crimes.
In Monday’s filing, Manafort’s lawyers asked the Washington judge to impose a concurrent sentence if he receives prison sentences in the two cases.