Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman, has offically added 43 months to his prision sentence Wednesday.
Manafort’s sentencing is now at a total of 90 months, or 7 and a half years, from the twin cases that stemmed from special counsil Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation.
Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States by illegally lobbying in Ukraine and hiding proceeds overseas. He also encouraged witnesses to lie for him, which was committed after his arrest.
“This defendant is not public enemy number one, but he’s also not a victim either,” US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said. “There’s no question this defendant knew better, and he knew exactly what he was doing.”
The judge sasid that the question of whether anyone in the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government was not presented during this case. But Jackson added that the assertion may not even be “accurate” because the special counsel probe is not over.
Jackson found that Manafort lied to the investigators.
“It’s not appropriate to say investigators haven’t found anythign when you lied to the investigators,” Jackson said.
Manafort was wheelchaired into the courtroom, wearing a suit, rather than the inmate jumpsuit he wore to some previous court appearances.
“Please let my wife and I be together,” Manafort said, adding that he will turn 70 in a few weeks.
Manafort apologized to the judge and to “all the negatively affected by my actions.”
“Let me be clear: I accepted responsibility for the actions that led me to be here today, and I want to apologize for all I contributed to the impacts on people and institutions,” Manafort said. “While I cannot change the past, I can work to change the future.”
Manafort’s first sentencing, before federal Judge T.S. Ellis in the Eastern Disrict of Virginia, concluded last Thursday.