New York City preparing to charge Manafort in face of possible pardon: New York Times
(Reuters) - The Manhattan district attorney is preparing to file state criminal charges against Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, in case the president pardons him for his federal crimes, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing sources.
The Times reported that District Attorney Cyrus Vance is expected to seek charges whether or not Trump pardons Manafort.
Manafort, 69 was convicted last August of bank and tax fraud. He is due to be sentenced in a federal court in Virginia on March 8, and faces up to 24 years in prison and a fine of up to $24 million.
Manafort is also due to be sentenced on March 13 in a parallel federal case in Washington.
He is one of the first people in Trump’s orbit to face criminal charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Both Trump and Russia have denied any election meddling.
The U.S. president can issue pardons for federal cases only, and Manafort could still face prison if found guilty of any state charges. There are strict provisions in the U.S. Constitution against “double jeopardy,” with the Fifth Amendment saying a person cannot be tried multiple times for the same alleged crime.
Some of Manafort’s New York property loans have also been investigating by Vance, sources have told Reuters. The local prosecutor issued subpoenas last year to lenders including Federal Savings Bank of Chicago, a small bank that provided millions in loans to Manafort, Reuters reported last year.
It is unclear whether Vance will pursue charges over the loans. A spokesman for Vance declined to comment.
Reporting by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe
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