Manafort trial: Star witness details ex-Trump aide 'crimes'

Manafort trial: Star witness details ex-Trump aide 'crimes'

The former deputy of a former manager of Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, has told the court that he committed crimes with his former owner and stole from him.

Gates - pictured here in February - has already pleaded guilty to two criminal charges

Star prosecutor Rick Gates said in the fraud case that the defendant, Mr Manafort, guided most of the crimes.

In October last, both were blamed for hiding millions of dollars lobbied for Ukrainian politicians.

This is the first criminal case in the investigative department led by the Justice Department in the alleged Russian problem.

President Donald Trump examined a political "witch hunting", and argued that Mr Manfort's treatment is worse than Al Capone.

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What did Gates tell the court?

In five days of testing in Alexandria, Virginia, the prosecutor asked Gates if he had committed a crime with Mr Manfort, and he said: "Yes."

He testified that Mr Manafort had instructed him to reduce the proceeds by reporting the report of foreign income as loan.

Gates told the jury of six women and six men on Monday that Mr Manafort ordered him not to disclose foreign bank accounts in Cyprus.

The witness also proved that despite the fact that he has helped the returning file to false, he is hiding 15 foreign accounts from the US government.

He said that he had stolen "several hundred thousand dollars" by depositing false expenditure reports from Mr Manfort.

Gates - who served on the 2016 Trump Presidential campaign with Mr Manafort - told the court that he had also stolen from other employers.

A courtroom sketch shows Mr Manafort seated during the opening day of his trial

what's at stake?

Mr Manafort, 69, can be found guilty of charges of fraud and spent the rest of his life in jail.

Gates, 46, is facing a six-year jail in prison under a petition deal with prosecutors in February when he blamed two conspiracy charges and the FBI for lying.

Originally charged as a co-conspirator, he accepted in court on Monday that he was co-operating with the prosecution in the hope of generosity.

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Tax accountant Cindy LaPorta testified last week and earlier on Monday

What is the background?

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether any Trump ally had compromised with Moscow Moscow for helping him choose as a US President and whether there was any obstruction to justice.

But Mr Manfort is not charged with helping the Kremlin.

Prosecutors say that they reduced taxes on millions of dollars made from their work for a Russian-friendly Ukrainian political party.

Manafort: Trump's former campaign chair