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Manafort Sentenced to 47 Months

By William Vogeler, Esq. on March 07, 2019 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Paul Manafort, the one-time campaign chairman for President Trump, was sentenced to 47 months in prison.

Unless he is pardoned, Manafort may not survive it. He will soon turn 70, and still faces charges in a separate case.

But his defense attorneys can take it as a win because Manafort faced closer to 20 years. Ultimately, however, all roads lead to the same place.

In Custody

Manafort has been languishing in jail after being convicted last year in Virginia on eight felony counts related to bank and income tax fraud. Prosecutors said he was working in the Ukraine on behalf of politicians aligned with Russia.

Following his conviction, he pleaded guilty in Washington, DC to charges of illegal lobbying. He faces up to 10 years on those counts.

Manafort has not criminally implicated Trump, who employed Manafort for his presidential campaign in the 2016 election. Trump has called him "a very good person."

That didn't help at sentencing, however, where Manafort appeared in a wheelchair. His counsel asked for credit, saying Manafort accepted responsibility for his crimes.

No Apology

"I ask you to be compassionate," Manafort pleaded with the judge, but did that apologize.

Judge T.S. Ellis surprised many courtwatchers and sentenced him to about four years. Prosecutors wanted 24.

Manafort is one of 34 people and three companies charged by Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation. He is the only one to go to trial.

Others, including former campaign aides Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos, have pleaded guilty. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen have also pleaded out.

Manafort has an appointment with Judge Amy Berman Jackson next week in the Washington case. She sent Manafort to jail last June for allegedly tampering with witnesses while out on bail.

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