Prosecutors in the trial of President Donald Trump’s former aide Paul Manafort continued to focus on Manafort’s finances Friday during the fourth day of his trial, as his former accountant testified.
Paul Manafort never told his accountants he controlled overseas bank accounts and corporate entities tied to them.
That’s according to testimony Friday as prosecutors seek to pull up the curtain on how the former Donald Trump aide allegedly concealed his earnings from working as a political operative in Ukraine.
Manafort faces tax and bank fraud charges stemming from his work for a pro-Russia politician in Ukraine.
This was mostly years before he briefly ran President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016, during a pivotal time in the campaign. But Manafort was caught in special counsel Robert Mueller’s net as he investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 election
The most anticipated testimony is by Rick Gates, who is both a former business partner of Manafort’s and also was deputy chairman for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Gates has pled guilty to several charges that Mueller brought against him, and he’s cooperating with the Mueller probe.
Manafort’s defense is expected to try to paint Gates as somebody who took advantage of Manafort and did all the things Manafort is accused of without his knowledge.
Another one of Manafort’s accountants testified Thursday that Gates instructed her to change the amount of a loan on a tax return to lower Manafort’s taxes, telling the court “I very much regret it.”
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