Manafort indicted on $75 million money laundering charge

Manafort indicted on $75 million money laundering charge



Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his onetime business partner and protege Rick Gates surrendered to federal authorities on Monday as the first charges from the probe of possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election were unsealed.



The pair appeared at FBI headquarters to be processed and left on their own recognizance after just a few hours.



The indictment against Manafort, 68, and Gates, 45, includes 12 separate criminal counts: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.



The government alleges that at least $75 million was moved by Manafort to offshore accounts without declaring the income to the government. Form there Manafort allegedly withdrew $18 million to fund a lavish lifestyle, and Gates pulled another $3 million out.



The indictment is purely focused on alleged financial crimes and does not include any charges related to the broader question that formed the basis of Mueller's investigation – whether Donald Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia to swing the 2016 election in his favor.



It describes criminal allegations that predate the Trump campaign; Trump's name is not mentioned in the 31-page document.



'Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign,' Trump tweeted after the charges were unsealed. 'But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????'



'Also, there is NO COLLUSION!' he insisted. 





A source close to the White House told CNN that 'today has zero to do with the White House.'



The move to indict the two men represents a dramatic turn in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.  Manafort was seen leaving his home at 8:00 a.m. with his attorney and arrived at FBI headquarters less than 20 minutes later.



A federal grand jury approved the indictments on Friday and a judge ordered them sealed. A White House official told DailyMail.com on Monday that the administration may not comment at all on the arrests.



The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama and confirmed in the Senate by a 97-0 vote.



Among the expenses paid for by Manafort-controlled entities in Cyprus, according to the indictment, were $600,000 for antiques and $500,000 paid to a Beverly Hills tailor.



Other money went for premium automobiles and home renovations in Florida and the Hamptons.



Manafort also spent $934,350 at an antique rug store.



Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said in a statement that the indictment 'underscores the seriousness of the investigation into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. It’s time for Republicans to commit to protecting this investigation and preserving the rule of law.'



In a separate statement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the charges demonstrated the necessity of keeping congressional investigations running alongside the Mueller probe.



'Even with an accelerating Special Counsel investigation inside the Justice Department, and investigations inside the Republican Congress, we still need an outside, fully independent investigation to expose Russia’s meddling in our election and the involvement of Trump officials,' she said.



'Defending the integrity of our democracy demands that Congress look forward to counter Russian aggression and prevent future meddling with our elections.'



Manafort and Gates were the one-two punch responsible for keeping Republican National Convention delegates in line last year as the possibility emerged of a contentious floor fight over the presidential nomination.



Manafort was fired shortly after the convention and replaced by pollster Kellyanne Conway, but Gates stayed on and was more