Prosecutors tell jury that Manafort owns a $15,000 ostrich jacket

The Manafort trial: Guilty on 8 counts

By Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha, Brian Ries and Sophie Tatum, CNN

Updated 8:10 p.m. ET, August 21, 2018
5 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
4:05 p.m. ET, July 31, 2018

Prosecutors tell jury that Manafort owns a $15,000 ostrich jacket

From CNN's Marshall Cohen

In opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors detailed Paul Manafort's "extravagant lifestyle," and said it was funded by "secret income" that he earned from his lobbying in Ukraine.

To demonstrate Manafort's lavish spending habits, Uzo Asonye, a prosecutor working on the case with special counsel Robert Mueller's team, pointed to specific details:

  • Asonye told jurors that Manafort owned several homes and acquired real estate in New York and Virginia.
  • Prosecutors said he bought expensive cars and watches.
  • Manafort even got a $15,000 jacket "made from an ostrich," Asonye said.

Manafort is accused of filing false tax returns, failing to report foreign bank accounts, and defrauding several banks. If Manafort is convicted, these serious financial crimes could carry a total sentence of 300 years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. 

3:40 p.m. ET, July 31, 2018

Prosecutors paint Manafort as "shrewd" liar in opening statement

From CNN's Marshall Cohen

Bill Hennessy
Bill Hennessy

In opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors painted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as a "shrewd" liar who orchestrated a global scheme to avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars.

Manafort lived an "extravagant lifestyle" fueled by millions of dollars in "secret income" that he earned from his lobbying in Ukraine, said Uzo Asonye, a prosecutor working on the case with special counsel Robert Mueller's team. 

"All of these charges boil down to one simple issue -- that Paul Manafort lied," Asonye said.
3:17 p.m. ET, July 31, 2018

These 5 witnesses got immunity to testify

From CNN's Evan Perez, Marshall Cohen and David Shortell

A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, granted a request for five witnesses to testify with immunity during Manafort's trial.

The five witnesses granted immunity are:

  • James Brennan
  • Donna Duggan
  • Conor O'Brien
  • Cindy Laporta
  • Dennis Raico

Court filings do not provide details as to what each will be testifying about.

Watch more:

2:49 p.m. ET, July 31, 2018

Catch up: What you need to know about Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort served as President Trump's campaign chairman between June and August 2016, resigning amid questions over his lobbying overseas.

He has a long career in politics: In the 1980s, he founded a lobbying firm with Roger Stone, another Trump adviser under investigation.

Manafort is charged with bank fraud and tax crimes. Prosecutors claim he hid millions of dollars in income from lobbying for Ukrainian politicians, all while failing to pay taxes and spending the money on US real estate and personal luxury purchases.

He has pleaded not guilty.

He's also scheduled to face trial in Washington, DC, on related charges in September.

Watch more:

2:16 p.m. ET, July 31, 2018

Manafort jury sworn in and opening statements are expected to begin this afternoon

From CNN's Katelyn Polantz

Bill Hennessy
Bill Hennessy

A jury of six men and six women has been sworn in for the criminal trial of Paul Manafort in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Also selected were four alternate jurors of three women and one man.

It took seven rounds of the selection process for attorneys on both sides to reach 12 jurors.

Though the initial jury pool of 65 people from Northern Virginia was largely white, the group that will decide Manafort's guilt was quite diverse, with at least three of the jurors not being white and two not white alternates as well. They range in age.

The court will take a lunch break for almost an hour, and opening statements are expected to begin this afternoon.