President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted Wednesday in New York on charges related to mortgage fraud, conspiracy and other crimes — just minutes after he received a second prison sentence in a separate federal case.
In total, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office hit Manafort with 16 new charges. In a statement, DA Cyrus Vance said the charges stem from a year-long residential mortgage fraud scheme that saw Manafort falsify business records in order to reap millions of dollars.
“No one is beyond the law in New York,” Vance said in the statement.
The investigation that led to the charges began in March 2107, Vance also said.
The case stems from Manafort’s alleged attempt to launder money through a New York City condo. The condo is located on Manhattan’s Howard St., and was allegedly purchased for “approximately $2,850,000,” according to court documents.
Manafort was accused of falsely claiming on a mortgage application that his daughter and son-in-law were living in the property. He also allegedly rented the condo out on Airbnb while taking tax breaks for owning a rental.
In 2017, special counsel Robert Mueller — who is currently investigating Trump’s connections to Russia — also call in a real estate agent who had previously worked with Manafort to testify before a grand jury
Wednesday’s latest round of charges are especially significant because, unlike federal crimes, they cannot be swept away with a presidential pardon.
Manafort has also faced two federal cases, netting him a total prison sentence of seven and a half years. That sentence is split between 47 months a federal judge in Virginia handed down earlier in March, and 43 months a judge in Washington, D.C., imposed Wednesday.
The federal cases — which were brought by Mueller — stem from Manafort’s work consulting for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Prosecutors ultimately accused him of committing a slew of crimes including conspiracy and bank and tax fraud.
The 43-month sentence Wednesday came just minutes before Manhattan prosecutors announced their case against Manafort, which was widely seen as an attempt to keep in behind bars even if Trump opts to pardon him.
Manafort served as Trump’s campaign manager from June to August of 2016.
Though the president has not said if he would pardon Manafort, Trump has praised him for refusing to “break” in the face of pressure from prosecutors.
