Reuters reports Jeffrey Yohai, Paul Manafort's former son-in-law, has agreed to a plea deal, the terms of which require he cooperate with other criminal investigations. Sources tell Reuters he could be asked to assist with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecution of Manafort.
Andrew Brown, a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, had been overseeing an investigation into Yohai’s real estate and bank dealings in California and New York several months before Mueller was appointed to his post in May 2017.
Yohai’s agreement, which was concluded early this year, included him pleading guilty to misusing construction loan funds and to a count related to a bank account overdraft.
While the deal was cut with Brown’s office, the federal government “can ask for help at any time,” said one of the people familiar with the matter.
Yohai was married to Manafort's daughter, Jessica, but they separated March 2017 and were divorced in August.
As a close business partner, Yohai was privy to many of Manafort’s financial dealings, according to the two people familiar with the matter and court filings in the bankruptcies of four Los Angeles properties in 2016. In addition to co-investing in California real estate, the two cooperated in getting loans for property deals in New York, Manafort’s indictments show.
Mueller sent a team of prosecutors to interview Yohai last June, asking him about Manafort’s relationship with Trump, his ties to Russian oligarchs, and his borrowing of tens of millions of dollars against properties in New York, Reuters reported in February, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Full story: Exclusive: Manafort's former son-in-law cuts plea deal, to cooperate with government: sources (Reuters)