Jailed!

News  |  Jun 15, 2018

UPDATE: The court has released Judge Amy Berman Jackson's full Order of Detention. 

From BuzzFeed News' court and justice reporter: 

 

tillman tweet

Pages 17 and 19 summarize the main point well:  Manafort cannot be trusted not to break the law again. 

page 17

 

page 19


President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is heading to jail while he awaits trial in both Washington, DC and Alexandria, Virginia. His first trial date is July 25th in Virginia. 

Judge Amy Berman Jackson decided Friday morning to revoke Manafort's bail after Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted him and his associate Konstantin Kilimnik on charges of witness tampering

BuzzFeed News

Manafort was immediately taken into custody. He was led to a nonpublic area behind the courtroom, turning to briefly wave at his wife before going back.

(...)

Jackson found that in light of the new allegations from special counsel Robert Mueller's office that Manafort had repeatedly attempted to call and text two of his former business associates starting in February — an effort that one of those associates told an investigator he understood to be an effort to "suborn perjury — she could not craft release conditions that she thought would be sufficient to protect the community. Manafort did not pose a physical danger, she said, but he presented a danger to "the administration of justice."

"I cannot turn a blind eye to these allegations ... You have abused the trust placed in you six months ago," Jackson said.

Jackson denied a request by Manafort's lawyer to put her order on hold to give the defense an opportunity to appeal her decision, a request that special counsel prosecutor Greg Andres opposed. Jackson said she was concerned that in light of her order, Manafort's risk of flight had just "multiplied."

Jackson rejected a request by Manafort's lawyer to consider imposing a clearer "no contact" order covering his communications going forward in lieu of incarceration, arguing he had "largely" been in compliance with her pretrial release conditions until now.

"This is not middle school. I can't take his cell phone," Jackson said.

Washington Post

Prosecutors had previously complained to the judge about Manafort’s behavior as he awaits trial. In December, they accused him of violating a court’s gag order by helping ghostwrite an op-ed piece defending his work in Ukraine for an English-language newspaper in Kiev.

Jackson, the judge, declined to punish Manafort then but warned she would likely consider similar actions in the future as a violation.

In asking for Manafort to be jailed, prosecutor Greg Andres said in court that there was a danger Manafort would continue to commit crimes. 

“There is nothing on the record of this court that assures that Mr. Manafort will abide by (any ) conditions” of pre-trial release short of jail, Andres said.

Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges (WaPo)

Paul Manafort Is Going To Jail Pending His Trial (BuzzFeed News)