Prosecutors Say Manafort Had Over 30 Overseas Bank Accounts and a $15,000 Ostrich Jacket

Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chief and a longtime personal ally to the president, purchased a $15,000 ostrich jacket and made as much as $60 million while working as a lobbyist for Ukraine, per special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors.

While Manafort is being charged for bank and tax fraud, his misadventures as a lobbyist play a broader role in Mueller’s investigation into Russian election tampering during the 2016 race. Though unlikely, if the 69-year-old is found guilty of all the charges leveled against him, he could face as much as 100 years in prison.

Mueller’s prosecuters worked to outline the luxurious life Manafort lived while receiving money from questionable foreign entities, including the outrageously expensive jacket, the funds he held in 30 overseas bank accounts, and his multiple homes — including one $2 million property that is a “stone’s throw” away from the Alexandria, Virginia court, according to Assistant United States Attorney Uzo Asonye.

Asonye also described Manafort’s foreign cash flow as a “cash spigot” and said “he created cash out of thin air.”

However, the attorney continued by saying Manafort did not inform the IRS about $15 million in funds he received from his Ukrainian client Viktor Yanukovych and noted that the Trump ally filed fraudulent income taxes in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

And, yes, he apparently had a very expensive ostrich jacket:

Paul Manafort owned a $15,000 jacket "made from an ostrich” according to prosecutors

— David P Gelles (@gelles) July 31, 2018

[image via screengrab]

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