If Manafort were just an ordinary schmoe, where would he be right now?
My guess is treated to three hots and a cot as a guest of the federal government. He's facing a twelve count indictment with offenses that carry up to 20 years for each count on the money laundering charges. Any ordinary defendant would have had their bail revoked and been carted away already. Could you imagine if it was someone accused of drug dealing? Even some hapless accountant who had embezzled money from their clients would be in jail. Hell, even Bernie Kerik, the former NYCPD Commissioner (and nominee for Homeland Security Director) had his bail revoked for public statements he made before his trial. Why isn't Manafort in jail right now?
Check out what the government is saying in it's opposition to Manfort's motion to modify his bail. Total disregard for the orders of the court and a hubris that the law doesn't apply to him:
Even if the ghostwritten op-ed were entirely accurate, fair, and balanced, it would be a violation of this Court’s November 8 Order if it had been published. The editorial clearly was undertaken to influence the public’s opinion of defendant Manafort, or else there would be no reason to seek its publication (much less for Manafort and his long-time associate to ghostwrite it in another’s name). It compounds the problem that the proposed piece is not a dispassionate recitation of the facts.
and this:
Although the Court could potentially address some of the deficiencies, the defendant has now demonstrated that he is willing to violate a Court Order and the Pretrial Services admonitions that are a part of pretrial process. Cf. United States v. Kerik, 419 F. App’x 10, 14 (2d Cir. 2011) (unpublished) (noting that the defendant’s violation of a protective order “had caused the court to take the extraordinary action of revoking bail for a former Police Commissioner of the City of New York because it could no longer trust him to comply with court orders intended to ensure a fair and impartial jury”).
I'd love to know what was in that op-ed, but it is under seal right now. "Dear Editor, I'm writing to let everyone know how unfair it is to charge a great man like Paul Manfort with crimes......."
The government separately has filed a motion seeking permission to submit documentary evidence supporting this proffer under seal. We have not submitted it herein so as not to result in the full draft op-ed thereby becoming public.
Plus there are questions about the properties he put up for security. Finally, the government is comparing his conduct to Bernie Kerik and Vinnie "The Chin" Gigante. That's some serious company.
With respect to the proposed bail package, absent the new factual information, the government was going to request that the Court also: (1) make the bond forfeitable upon a breach of any condition of the defendant’s release, not just his failure to appear (a provision that is on the Court’s standard form but is not checked off in the submission made by the defense), see, e.g., United States v. Gigante, 85 F.3d 83, 85 (2d Cir. 1996) (per curiam); and (2) order that, each week, the defendant report to Pretrial Services where he will be located during the upcoming week, including details of any planned travel and where he will be staying; and (3) provide documentation as to the ownership of Summerbreeze LLC (the listed owner of the Bridgehampton property) and Jesand LLC (the listed owner of the Baxter Street property) so that the Court can be assured that all owners are consenting to the posting of the assets.
So I ask again, why isn't Manafort in jail right now?
= new reply since forum marked as read
