President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a “cardiac event” in federal prison.
Manafort, 70, is currently serving out a 7.5-year sentence in Pennsylvania. A Virginia jury found him guilty of tax fraud, bank fraud, and failure to disclose a foreign bank account in 2018. After that, Manafort pleaded guilty in Washington, D.C. to conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Manafort’s health became a topic of concern in 2018 when he appeared for a court hearing in a wheelchair. He explained to the court that he required the wheelchair due to serious medical conditions related to his prison diet. He requested leniency in his sentencing due to his rapidly deteriorating health.
Manafort won’t be making an appearance in court on Wednesday for a scheduled hearing. Recall: Manafort is also facing state mortgage fraud charges. Manafort attorney Todd Blanche told ABC News that he hadn’t spoken to his client since last week and refused to comment on his health status.
Prior to news of his failing health on Tuesday, Manafort’s name came up at the sentencing of former associate and former Trump campaign deputy chairman Rick Gates. As reported by Law&Crime, a federal prosecutor told a judge that Manafort had offered Gates “monetary assistance” not to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston said Manafort, whom Gates went on to testify against, offered Gates access to a legal defense fund on the condition that Gates agreed not to cooperate with the government’s investigation.
Manafort is scheduled to be released in December of 2024.
[image via Alexandria Detention Center]
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