Court Filing: Manafort Asks Judge for Sentence Far Below the Maximum

Court Filing: Manafort Asks Judge for Sentence Far Below the Maximum

WASHINGTON —

Lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on Monday asked a federal judge in Washington to impose a prison term "significantly below the statutory maximum" when he is sentenced on March 13, according to a court filing.

Manafort pleaded guilty in a federal court in Washington last September to conspiracy against the United States — a charge that includes a range of conduct from money laundering to unregistered lobbying — and conspiracy to obstruct justice for attempts to tamper with witnesses.

He can be sentenced up to five years for each count, for a statutory maximum of 10 years.

"We respectfully request that the Court impose a sentence significantly below the statutory maximum sentence in this case," Manafort's lawyers said in the filing.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team said in a filing on Saturday that Manafort, 69, "repeatedly and brazenly" broke the law, and argued he did not deserve leniency at sentencing.

While Mueller did not recommend a specific sentence, he portrayed Manafort as a "hardened" criminal who was at risk of repeating criminal behavior if released from prison.

Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any collusion between Russia and the campaign of President Donald Trump.

Russia denies trying to interfere in the election, and Trump says his team did not collude with Moscow.

Manafort is due to be sentenced on March 8 in a separate case in Alexandria, Virginia. He faces up to 25 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines in that case, in which he was convicted last year of financial crimes.

In Monday's filing, Manafort's lawyers asked the Washington judge to impose a concurrent sentence if he receives prison sentences in both cases.

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