Will Paul Manafort Face More Charges? Judge Dismisses NY State Case

A New York court Wednesday dismissed charges against former Republican political consultant Paul Manafort in a case seen as an effort to make sure Manafort served substantial prison time even if he were pardoned by President Trump.

Manafort, 70, who served as Trump’s campaign chairman, is serving a federal prison term in Pennsylvania for conviction on charges stemming from the investigation of election interference by special counsel Robert Mueller. He is serving a more than seven-year sentence for tax and bank fraud, and conspiracy.

Though Trump could pardon Manafort for his federal crimes, he would not be able to pardon Manafort if he were convicted on state charges.

Trump has not said whether he plans to pardon Manafort, but he has talked about his pardon powers, tweeting it would be legal for him to pardon himself.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said at the time state charges of mortgage fraud and more than a dozen other felonies were filed, he was trying to ensure Manafort would serve substantial jail time -- even if Trump issued a pardon. Defense attorneys argued the state charges amounted to double jeopardy.

The bank loans at the heart of the New York charges were the same as those cited in the federal complaint. They accused Manafort of defrauding Citizen Bank and Federal Savings in obtaining loans for property in New York City and on Long Island.

“In our view, the laws in New York do not allow the people to do what they did in this case,” Manafort attorney Todd Blanche said when Manafort pleaded innocent in June.

New York Supreme Court Judge Maxwell Wiley agreed, saying state law prohibits the type of case brought by Vance, who had argued his case complied with an exception to the double jeopardy rule.

Manafort, who was a Republican consultant, was convicted of tax and bank fraud in federal court in Alexandria, Va. He subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges in September 2018.

The dismissal came as Manafort was hospitalized in stable condition. The Bureau of Prisons declined to elaborate on the reason for hospitalization.