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Former Trump aide Rick Gates to plead guilty; agrees to testify against Manafort, sources say

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Former Trump aide Rick Gates to plead guilty; agrees to testify against Manafort, sources say

By DAVID WILLMAN
FEB 18, 2018

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Former Trump aid Rick Gates

A former top aide to Donald Trump's presidential campaign will plead guilty to fraud-related charges within days – and has made clear to prosecutors that he would testify against Paul J. Manafort Jr., the lawyer-lobbyist who once managed the campaign. The change of heart by Trump's former deputy campaign manager, Richard W. Gates III, who had pleaded not guilty after being indicted in October on charges similar to Manafort's, was described in interviews by people familiar with the case. "Rick Gates is going to change his plea to guilty,'' said a person with direct knowledge of the new developments, adding that the revised plea will be presented in federal court in Washington "within the next few days.''

Mueller is heading the prosecutions of Gates and Manafort as part of the wide-ranging investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump or his aides committed crimes before, during or since the campaign.That individual and others who discussed the matter spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a judge's gag order restricting comments about the case to the news media or public. According to a person familiar with those talks, Gates, a longtime political consultant, can expect "a substantial reduction in his sentence'' if he fully cooperates with the investigation. He said that Gates is apt to serve about 18 months in prison. If Manafort maintains his not-guilty plea and fights the charges at a trial, the testimony from Gates could provide Mueller's team with first-person descriptions of much of the allegedly illegal conduct. Gates' testimony, said a person familiar with the pending guilty plea, would place a "cherry on top'' of the government's already-formidable case against Manafort.
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Not looking good for former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort.
 
Rexedgar said:
Manafort doesn't look as though he would age well incarcerated.....
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Turns 69 April 1. Great day to lay another felony charge.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Former Trump aide Rick Gates to plead guilty; agrees to testify against Manafort, sources say



Not looking good for former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort.
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I wonder if Mueller is pondering money laundering charges? If so and Mantafort receives a pardon, then NY State can step up to the plate.

New York Money Laundering Laws - FindLaw
Any deposits, wire transfers, payments, sales, purchases, loans, extensions of credit, transfers of title, and currency exchanges. Any other acts made through or by a financial institution such as a bank, broker, credit union, loan company, travel agency, or another type of business may also qualify as transactions for the purpose of money laundering.
Defenses to Money Laundering Charges

Lack of knowledge regarding the source or nature of the money and other proceeds gained through criminal conduct
Lack of intent to support or carry out criminal conduct
Lack of intent to conceal, disguise, or hide the source or nature of money and other proceeds gained through criminal conduct
Entrapment arranged by police or law enforcement officials

Penalties and Sentences

4th Degree Money Laundering (more than $5,000): Class E felony; up to 4 yrs. in prison
3rd Degree Money Laundering (more than $50,000): Class D felony; up to 7 yrs. in prison
2nd Degree Money Laundering (more than $100,000): Class C felony; up to 15 yrs. in prison
1st Degree Money Laundering (more than $1 million): Class B felony; up to 25 yrs. in prison
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Rogue Valley said:
Former Trump aide Rick Gates to plead guilty; agrees to testify against Manafort, sources say



Not looking good for former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort.
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Drip - drip - drip. If this is true, I doubt this will make much difference unless Manafort really is guilty of a serious crime. They must have offered Gates a really attractive plea bargain if he in fact changed his plea. Maybe immunity? Whenever it is an anonymous source though, I don't bite on the story until there is a credible on the record source. Way too often it turns out to be fake news deliberately leaked to media that will print it regardless of whether it has any merit or not.
 
Unitedwestand13 said:
Is manafort going to cooperate with Mueller now?
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Well, the screws are being tightened on Manafort. For one, in the document that outlined the Russian indictments, there was a section about the assets that Manafort put up to stay out of prison in house arrest. It seems he overstated value, those properties might get foreclosed soon, and there is some fraud indicated with those properties.

It appears that Mueller is going to be pushing for trading Manaforts house arrest to being in prison.
 
AlbqOwl said:
Drip - drip - drip. If this is true, I doubt this will make much difference unless Manafort really is guilty of a serious crime. They must have offered Gates a really attractive plea bargain if he in fact changed his plea. Maybe immunity? Whenever it is an anonymous source though, I don't bite on the story until there is a credible on the record source. Way too often it turns out to be fake news deliberately leaked to media that will print it regardless of whether it has any merit or not.
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We know, we know....
 
AlbqOwl said:
Drip - drip - drip. If this is true, I doubt this will make much difference unless Manafort really is guilty of a serious crime. They must have offered Gates a really attractive plea bargain if he in fact changed his plea. Maybe immunity? Whenever it is an anonymous source though, I don't bite on the story until there is a credible on the record source. Way too often it turns out to be fake news deliberately leaked to media that will print it regardless of whether it has any merit or not.
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don't think so
report indicates the best he can hope for is 18 months jail time
but nothing specific promised
According to a person familiar with those talks, Gates, a longtime political consultant, can expect "a substantial reduction in his sentence" if he fully cooperates with the investigation. He said Gates is likely to serve about 18 months in prison.

The delicate terms reached by the opposing lawyers, he said, will not be specified in writing: Gates "understands that the government may move to reduce his sentence if he substantially cooperates �� but it won't be spelled out."
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https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/ri...ort-enter-guilty-plea-report/?comments=disqus
 
This investigation is unfolding relatively quickly. It's interesting to note that while there has been an enormous amount of energy devoted to undermining the Mueller investigation, ongoing fears of Rosenstein being replaced with a trump toadie, and ongoing concerns about Presidential pardons, those who have been indicted aren't behaving like they're going to get pardons or that the Mueller investigation is going to close up shop any time soon. This suggests to me that the Mueller investigation may be a lot more secure than I imagined.
 
"The suspense is terrible... I hope it will last." - Willy Wonka.




But seriously, I believe the Republicans or the Democrats have a memo/sticky note exchange...
 
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AlbqOwl said:
Drip - drip - drip. If this is true, I doubt this will make much difference unless Manafort really is guilty of a serious crime. They must have offered Gates a really attractive plea bargain if he in fact changed his plea. Maybe immunity? Whenever it is an anonymous source though, I don't bite on the story until there is a credible on the record source. Way too often it turns out to be fake news deliberately leaked to media that will print it regardless of whether it has any merit or not.
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Trump's campaign aside, manafort is in deep outside all the trump stuff. Dude is so dirty his daughters are mad as hell at him. He was working with russia and essentially against the USA in Ukraine.
 
Probably why the lawyers for Gates asked the trial judge to release them last week.
 
AlbqOwl said:
Drip - drip - drip. If this is true, I doubt this will make much difference unless Manafort really is guilty of a serious crime. They must have offered Gates a really attractive plea bargain if he in fact changed his plea. Maybe immunity? Whenever it is an anonymous source though, I don't bite on the story until there is a credible on the record source. Way too often it turns out to be fake news deliberately leaked to media that will print it regardless of whether it has any merit or not.
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yep, all of these asshats have STDs ............... Serious Trump Disease ............
 
Another Trump associate felony.

"You are known, by the friends you keep"

And right now, Trump's judgment of those he hires for top positions seems a bit suspect.
 
Chomsky said:
Another Trump associate felony.

"You are known, by the friends you keep"

And right now, Trump's judgment of those he hires for top positions seems a bit suspect.
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what it is? It is Trump's version of 'extreme vetting' ............
 
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Chomsky said:
Another Trump associate felony.

"You are known, by the friends you keep"

And right now, Trump's judgment of those he hires for top positions seems a bit suspect.
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You are so funny I can't stand it.
 
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