UPDATED: 2019/03/14 6:00PM
New York State prosecutors charged Paul Manafort with mortgage fraud and other charges on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 in a move that would ensure if Donald Trump were to try to pardon him, he would stay in prison. Judge Amy Berman handed down a 43 month sentence on top of the 47 months he was sentenced to last week. Her added sentence adds an extra three and a half years to his original sentence.
While the judge in his original sentencing was lenient with Manafort, Berman was definitely not. She did not believe that he was sorry for his actions in the least. She said, “Saying I’m sorry I got caught is not an inspiring plea for leniency.” She told the courtroom “It is hard to overstate the number of lies and the amount of fraud and the extraordinary amount of money involved.”
After the sentencing, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. revealed charges of residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy, falsifying records, and a scheme to defraud, in a 16-count indictment. The scheme involved falsifying record in order to obtain big loans in New York, where Manafort held property and did business.
“No one is beyond the law in New York,” the District Attorney said in a statement announcing the charges.