WASHINGTON — The special counsel unsealed new charges Thursday against President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, accusing him of hiding income and defrauding banks.
Many of the charges are similar to ones he was charged with in October. According to the new 32-count indictment, Manafort provided false information about his income to banks when he applied for mortgages. Seven of the counts relate to Manafort’s failure to properly file reports on his foreign bank accounts.
The indictment also revealed similar charges against Manafort’s longtime business associate and campaign deputy, Rick Gates. He was indicted along with Manafort in October.
The new charges were expected. The original indictment did not explicitly bring tax charges, an omission that experts predicted that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, would ultimately correct. The first indictment also relied heavily on accusations that Manafort violated foreign lobbying laws, which have not been used at trial. The new indictment gives prosecutors more options.
The charges do not involve Trump or his campaign and involve accusations that predate either man’s involvement with the president. But the investigation has been an unwanted distraction for the White House. After Gates and Manafort were indicted, a former national security adviser and a foreign policy aide to Trump have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about their Russian connections. And 13 Russian operatives were charged with trying to sow chaos in the presidential election and tip the vote toward Trump.
The indictment depicts a complex scheme by Manafort and Gates to shield tens of millions of dollars from US tax authorities by moving the funds through foreign bank accounts around the world: in Cyprus, the Seychelles, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Manafort and Gates hid the existence and ownership of the foreign companies and bank accounts, falsely and repeatedly reporting to their tax preparers and to the United States that they had no foreign bank accounts,’’ the indictment said.
The authorities allege that Manafort and Gates disguised more than $10 million of their own money as loans to move the funds into the United States.
A lawyer for Manafort did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty.
Manafort’s friends have said that Mueller’s indictment is an effort to pressure him into providing information about Trump and his campaign. If so, Thursday’s indictment adds to that pressure. But White House lawyers and Manafort’s associates have been adamant that he does not have any information that could hurt Trump.
Court records paint an unflattering portrait of Manafort. Prosecutors say he concealed years of lobbying for the pro-Russia government in Ukraine, laundered millions of dollars in proceeds, and misled investigators about his foreign work.
