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Sunday, August 05, 2018 8:08:35 AM
Manafort trial Day 3: The bookkeeper speaks, a man-made waterfall and a Rick Gates guarantee
"Manafort trial day 2:"
Prosecutor Greg Andres said in court Thursday that the government fully intends to call Rick Gates (pictured), who cut a plea deal earlier this year and
agreed to cooperate with the prosecution of Paul Manafort. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN and JOSH GERSTEIN
08/02/2018 10:40 AM EDT
Updated 08/02/2018 06:40 PM EDT
Paul Manafort’s bookkeeper testified Thursday that she was unaware of more than a dozen
offshore accounts the former Trump campaign chairman allegedly controlled in Cyprus.
[...]
Ellis, a 78-year old Ronald Reagan appointee .. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/01/manafort-trial-judge-ellis-757141 , has noted before the intense international media coverage dedicated to the Manafort trial, with all of the seats frequently full in his ninth-floor courtroom and the plaza outside the federal building crowded with television cameramen, photographers and satellite trucks.
[...]
Gates will take the stand
Speculation that Mueller’s team might not call Gates, its star witness, to testify against his former boss and business partner turns out to have been hot air.
Andres said in court Thursday morning that the government fully intends to call Gates.
“We put him on the witness list,” Andres said of Gates. “We have every intention of calling him as a witness.”
[...]
“I think Mr. Asonye walked that back pretty quickly,” the judge said. “My wife wasn’t fooled.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/02/paul-manafort-trial-latest-day-3-758678
-
Manafort trial day 4: The high-flying consultant’s financial double life
The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Virginia, where the trial of former Trump campaign
manager Paul Manafort takes place | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
‘They never told us about any income deposited in foreign accounts,’ Manafort’s accountant told jurors.
By Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn
8/3/18, 7:02 PM CET
Updated 8/4/18, 6:48 AM CET
On day four of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s trial, prosecutors advanced their case that the high-flying international political consultant lived a financial double life — hiding overseas bank accounts from his accountants and lying to U.S. banks about the source of large sums he deposited with them.
The testimony further underscored the argument by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that Manafort relied on a complex web of foreign financial entities and transactions to conceal and evade U.S. taxes on millions of dollars he earned from managing and advising foreign political campaigns, particularly in Ukraine several years ago.
Manafort’s defense team has suggested that false statements on his tax returns were understandable oversights by a busy man. But prosecutors are working methodically to demolish that position through testimony showing a years-long pattern of deception on Manafort’s part.
An accountant who helped prepare Manafort’s taxes for almost 20 years, Philip Ayliff, testified Friday that he and his colleagues often directly asked Manafort and his top aide, Rick Gates, about possible foreign accounts and other unusual transactions but were never informed about a web of foreign entities prosecutors say Manafort controlled.
“They never told us about any income deposited in foreign accounts,” said Ayliff.
Ayliff said he assumed the exotically-named companies that transferred millions into Manafort’s consulting firm were clients in the consulting work he did abroad, adding that ledgers provided by Manafort’s bookkeeper had described them that way. In fact, prosecutors say, Manafort himself controlled the companies.
Manafort’s bookkeeper testified Thursday that she was unaware that Manafort and Gates had financial accounts in Cyprus and had filed tax returns there. Asked by prosecutor Uzo Asonye whether would want to know that, Ayliff said yes: “It’s worldwide income that they have to report on,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re complying with the law.”
After Manafort purchased a brownstone townhouse on Union Street in Manhattan in 2012, the tax preparers sent Gates an email where the money came from. The reply was that it was money Manafort’s wife, Kathleen had in the bank.
Why Mueller needs a win in the Manafort trial
Darren Samuelsohn
https://www.politico.eu/article/why-robert-mueller-needs-a-win-in-the-paul-manafort-trial-russia-probe/
White House tries to ignore Manafort trial
Christopher Cadelago
https://www.politico.eu/article/white-house-tries-to-ignore-paul-manafort-trial-donald-trump-russia-probe/
“This came from a savings account of Kathy’s, according to PJM,” Gates wrote back.
In fact, prosecutors allege, Manafort purchased the home by wiring $3 million from a Cyprus-based business, Actinet Trading Limited.
Defense attorneys told jurors earlier this week that Gates, who pleaded guilty and is expected to testify against Manafort, was on the take — embezzling from Manafort or his company. Gates appears to have acted as an intermediary for Manafort with the tax preparers and accountants on numerous occasions.
Before defense attorneys got their crack at Ayliff Friday, Asonye sought to head off any argument that Gates was freelancing when he answered the accountants’ questions. He asked Ayliff if during the years he dealt with the two men he noticed any disagreement between them.
“Did Rick Gates ever contradict Mr. Manafort?” the prosecutor asked. “Did Mr. Manafort ever contradict Rick Gates?”
“No,” Ayliff answered to both questions.
While some of the email exchanges were intriguing, much of Ayliff’s testimony was painfully tedious, consisting of his reading various lines off the tax returns for Manafort and his business.
Another accountant who worked on Manafort’s taxes, Cindy LaPorta, is expected on the witness stand Friday afternoon.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-russia-manafort-trial-day-4-the-high-flying-consultants-financial-double-life/
Also see - Manafort Trial Day 4: Bank Fraud And Bookkeepers
npr.com August 3, 2018
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=142661652
"Manafort trial day 2:"
Prosecutor Greg Andres said in court Thursday that the government fully intends to call Rick Gates (pictured), who cut a plea deal earlier this year and
agreed to cooperate with the prosecution of Paul Manafort. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN and JOSH GERSTEIN
08/02/2018 10:40 AM EDT
Updated 08/02/2018 06:40 PM EDT
Paul Manafort’s bookkeeper testified Thursday that she was unaware of more than a dozen
offshore accounts the former Trump campaign chairman allegedly controlled in Cyprus.
[...]
Ellis, a 78-year old Ronald Reagan appointee .. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/01/manafort-trial-judge-ellis-757141 , has noted before the intense international media coverage dedicated to the Manafort trial, with all of the seats frequently full in his ninth-floor courtroom and the plaza outside the federal building crowded with television cameramen, photographers and satellite trucks.
[...]
Gates will take the stand
Speculation that Mueller’s team might not call Gates, its star witness, to testify against his former boss and business partner turns out to have been hot air.
Andres said in court Thursday morning that the government fully intends to call Gates.
“We put him on the witness list,” Andres said of Gates. “We have every intention of calling him as a witness.”
[...]
“I think Mr. Asonye walked that back pretty quickly,” the judge said. “My wife wasn’t fooled.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/02/paul-manafort-trial-latest-day-3-758678
-
Manafort trial day 4: The high-flying consultant’s financial double life
The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Virginia, where the trial of former Trump campaign
manager Paul Manafort takes place | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
‘They never told us about any income deposited in foreign accounts,’ Manafort’s accountant told jurors.
By Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn
8/3/18, 7:02 PM CET
Updated 8/4/18, 6:48 AM CET
On day four of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s trial, prosecutors advanced their case that the high-flying international political consultant lived a financial double life — hiding overseas bank accounts from his accountants and lying to U.S. banks about the source of large sums he deposited with them.
The testimony further underscored the argument by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that Manafort relied on a complex web of foreign financial entities and transactions to conceal and evade U.S. taxes on millions of dollars he earned from managing and advising foreign political campaigns, particularly in Ukraine several years ago.
Manafort’s defense team has suggested that false statements on his tax returns were understandable oversights by a busy man. But prosecutors are working methodically to demolish that position through testimony showing a years-long pattern of deception on Manafort’s part.
An accountant who helped prepare Manafort’s taxes for almost 20 years, Philip Ayliff, testified Friday that he and his colleagues often directly asked Manafort and his top aide, Rick Gates, about possible foreign accounts and other unusual transactions but were never informed about a web of foreign entities prosecutors say Manafort controlled.
“They never told us about any income deposited in foreign accounts,” said Ayliff.
Ayliff said he assumed the exotically-named companies that transferred millions into Manafort’s consulting firm were clients in the consulting work he did abroad, adding that ledgers provided by Manafort’s bookkeeper had described them that way. In fact, prosecutors say, Manafort himself controlled the companies.
Manafort’s bookkeeper testified Thursday that she was unaware that Manafort and Gates had financial accounts in Cyprus and had filed tax returns there. Asked by prosecutor Uzo Asonye whether would want to know that, Ayliff said yes: “It’s worldwide income that they have to report on,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re complying with the law.”
After Manafort purchased a brownstone townhouse on Union Street in Manhattan in 2012, the tax preparers sent Gates an email where the money came from. The reply was that it was money Manafort’s wife, Kathleen had in the bank.
Why Mueller needs a win in the Manafort trial
Darren Samuelsohn
https://www.politico.eu/article/why-robert-mueller-needs-a-win-in-the-paul-manafort-trial-russia-probe/
White House tries to ignore Manafort trial
Christopher Cadelago
https://www.politico.eu/article/white-house-tries-to-ignore-paul-manafort-trial-donald-trump-russia-probe/
“This came from a savings account of Kathy’s, according to PJM,” Gates wrote back.
In fact, prosecutors allege, Manafort purchased the home by wiring $3 million from a Cyprus-based business, Actinet Trading Limited.
Defense attorneys told jurors earlier this week that Gates, who pleaded guilty and is expected to testify against Manafort, was on the take — embezzling from Manafort or his company. Gates appears to have acted as an intermediary for Manafort with the tax preparers and accountants on numerous occasions.
Before defense attorneys got their crack at Ayliff Friday, Asonye sought to head off any argument that Gates was freelancing when he answered the accountants’ questions. He asked Ayliff if during the years he dealt with the two men he noticed any disagreement between them.
“Did Rick Gates ever contradict Mr. Manafort?” the prosecutor asked. “Did Mr. Manafort ever contradict Rick Gates?”
“No,” Ayliff answered to both questions.
While some of the email exchanges were intriguing, much of Ayliff’s testimony was painfully tedious, consisting of his reading various lines off the tax returns for Manafort and his business.
Another accountant who worked on Manafort’s taxes, Cindy LaPorta, is expected on the witness stand Friday afternoon.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-russia-manafort-trial-day-4-the-high-flying-consultants-financial-double-life/
Also see - Manafort Trial Day 4: Bank Fraud And Bookkeepers
npr.com August 3, 2018
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=142661652
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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