Manafort is found guilty of fraud

The jury of the jury in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington, recognized the political strategist Paul Manafort, the former chief of the election headquarters of Donald Trump, guilty of two episodes of banking and five episodes of tax fraud, as well as in one episode of concealment of information about a foreign bank account. It is reported by Reuters.

According to the remaining 10 episodes, the jury could not come to a single decision. In this regard, the judge announced a break until August 29, so that the prosecutor determines whether to send these episodes for re -consideration.

Each of the charges of banking fraud provides up to 30 years in prison. Meanwhile, experts that Reuters referring expect that 69-year-old Manafort will be scheduled for about 10 years.

The political technologist was done by the commission of special prosecutor Robert Müller, a conducting investigation of Russian intervention in the 2016 American presidential campaign.

Trump himself criticized the jury verdict, calling the investigation of Müller hunting for witches. “Paul Manafort is a good person,” the president said on Tuesday evening. “I am not involved in this, but you know, it is very annoying when this happens. And this has nothing to do with the conspiracy with Russia.”

Some of the charges were brought by Manafortin October last year , the other in February of the current one . Together with the political strategist in the case, his assistant Rick Gates took place. Initially, both denied guilt, but in March it became known that Gates agreed with the accusations anddecided to cooperate with Müller . Manafort still insists on his innocence.

Only part of the episodes of the case was sent to the court in Alexandria. One of them is the receipt in 2006-2015 by Manafort several tens of millions of dollars for lobbying in the United States of the interests of Viktor Yanukovych, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Party of Regions that ruled the Yanukovych, and after the victory of the revolution of dignity - for promoting the interests of the opposition bloc.

Other episodes will be considered by the court in Washington itself. The beginning of the hearings is expected there in September.

Since the end of last year, Manafort has been under house arrest. However, on June 15 he was sent to prison . A Müller filed a lawsuit by the court, which announced the pressure of the accused to witnesses.