Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort should only be released from house arrest ahead of his trial if he can prove his actual net worth, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, Newsweek writes.
According to Mueller’s team, Manafort’s release depends on whether he “provides a full accounting of his net worth” and the value of properties and a life insurance policy he has put up to meet a $10 million bond.
Manafort is currently required to check in with officials once daily and is restricted to his house, except to meet with his lawyers, appear in court, or for religious or medical reasons. His lawyers have requested a change to the terms and are negotiating with Mueller’s team, Newsweek adds.
Manafort and his business associate Richard Gates face 12 criminal charges, including allegations of “conspiracy to launder money” and “conspiracy against the United States” for an alleged decade-long tax avoidance scheme.
The duo also faces charges for failing to give accurate lobbying and bank disclosures. Both have plead not guilty and their trial is scheduled to start on May 7, 2018. According to Newsweek, Manafort has told the government his net worth is $28 million but an indictment filed by Mueller’s team last week alleges some $75 million flowed through a network of offshore accounts held by himself and Gates.
Manafort is accused of laundering $18 million of that money through the accounts as payments to companies in the U.S. for goods and services, including properties and home renovations. Mueller’s legal team have labeled him a serious flight risk because he has many connections overseas and, they argue, hasn’t given a full account of his finances. Under the terms of his pretrial release, Manafort is only allowed to travel to Virginia, New York, and Florida, where he has properties, and must report to authorities once a week, Newsweek notes.
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