Paul Manafort is one of six top advisers and associates of Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign to be charged in the Mueller investigation.
Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in prison on Thursday for tax crimes and bank fraud in the highest profile case yet stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The charges against Manafort involved work he did for 10 years on behalf of Moscow-allied politicians in Ukraine, and nothing related to the 2016 election an issue he argued in asking the court for leniency.
Defence attorney Kevin Downing, speaking after the sentencing said Manafort had “made clear he accepts responsibility for his conduct.
“And I think most importantly, what you saw today is the same thing that we had said from day one — there is absolutely no evidence that Paul Manafort was involved with any collusion with any government official from Russia,” Downing said.
During Manafort’s trial, much of the damaging testimony against him was provided by his former deputy Rick Gates, who is awaiting sentencing after reaching a plea agreement with the Special Counsel’s office.
Besides Manafort and Gates, four other former Trump associates face charges or have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Mueller investigation.
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials and is awaiting sentencing.