US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager faces a more severe sentence after he broke a plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller. A judge says he lied about his interactions with a Russian operative.
Manafort lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and prosecutors about a payment to a law firm and his interactions with a suspected Russian operative in 2016 and 2017, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled.
In November, Mueller had accused Manafort of lying to prosecutors, a charge Manafort's lawyers dismissed.
Berman said she would consider the lies at a sentencing hearing on March 13.
Mueller's side is "no longer bound by its obligations under the plea agreement, including its promise to support a reduction" in Manafort's sentence, she said.
Paul Manafort: Political insider
Paul Manafort was once at the helm of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The political insider's dramatic fall from grace has culminated in a nearly four-year prison sentence.
Image: Reuters/R. Wilking
Longtime Republican adviser
Seen here on the campaign trail with then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, Paul Manafort has been a fixture in Washington for decades. He worked for the campaigns of Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, as well as for unsuccessful 1996 candidate Bob Dole. Later, he began lobbying for foreign leaders in countries such as Saudi Arabia and for Russia-friendly politicians in Ukraine.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/M. Reinstein
History of working with dictators
His firm Manafort, Black and Kelly lobbied the US government on behalf of a number of unsavory characters including dictators like former Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych and others. Lobbying for foreign countries requires registration with the Justice Department, which Manafort failed to do.
Image: Imago
Corruption allegations
Ukraine's government has accused Manafort of receiving illegal, off-the-record payments from its predecessor. Manafort was also accused of supporting the violent removal of protesters from Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti square during Ukraine's 2014 uprising. Dozens of demonstrators were shot by police.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Supinsky
Manafort's right-hand man
As Manafort's trial began, one of the key witnesses against him was Rick Gates (left), who cut a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller. Gates pleaded guilty in February 2018 and is cooperating with prosecutors. Gates has knowledge of Manafort's offshore bank accounts, his work for Ukraine and his relationship with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Vucci
Alleged witness tampering
In this photo from Manafort's consulting offices, Konstantin Kilimnik (left), who allegedly has ties to Russian intelligence, poses for a photo with Manafort and others. It is one of the few images known to exist of Kilimnik, who has been accused by the Mueller investigation of witness tampering.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Indicted by federal grand jury
After being indicted, Manafort was allowed to remain free on bail after posting a $10 million dollar bond. A judge sent him to prison when prosecutors accused him of attempting to tamper with the testimony of two witnesses. In prison, Manafort was given VIP treatment, which included a phone and a laptop.
Image: Getty Images/Alexandria Sheriff's Office
Sentenced to prison
On March 7, 2019, Manafort was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax fraud, bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts. He was also ordered to pay more than $24 million in restitution. Manafort did not to testify during the trial, but after the verdict he said the ordeal had left him "professionally and financially in shambles."
Mueller is leading a probe into Russian government meddling in the 2016 presidential election and has been looking into ties between Trump's campaign and Russia.
Manafort was the first person to be indicted as part of the investigation. Mueller has also charged six other people involved in the campaign.
