'47 months is a joke': Legal experts are stunned after federal judge goes easy on Paul Manafort
Despite a federal guideline recommending a sentence of between 19 and 24 years of imprisonment for Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chair, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III issued a surprisingly light sentence Thursday of just under 4 years, stunning many observers.
Ellis had been consistently hostile to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team throughout the case, even as he repeatedly found that the prosecutors' legal arguments had merit. He once suggested that Mueller's team didn't really care about Manafort's crimes but only wanted to use him to get to Trump.
Prosecutors had argued in their sentencing memo that there was scant reason to go easy on Manafort. He continued to commit crimes even after being indicted, he lied to investigators during a cooperation agreement, and he showed no remorse for his crimes. The judge himself even noted that when Manafort addressed the court Thursday, he didn't express any regret for his crimes. Nevertheless, Ellis said that aside from his crimes, Manafort has led an "otherwise blameless life" and that he had a good relationship with others. This is flatly false — Manafort made a career out of supporting brutal dictators.
Many legal experts noted that Ellis' sentence seemed wildly out of touch with typical practice:
Paul Manafort’s lenient 4-year sentence — far below the recommended 20 years despite extensive felonies and post-co… https://t.co/bxLSKKYOUl— “the reporter” (@“the reporter”) 1552004380
I would expect on Manafort, after this 47 month sentence in VA, that the special counsel will seek, and Judge Amy B… https://t.co/NjWiNLqROQ— Preet Bharara (@Preet Bharara) 1552004291
FYI in 2018, #JudgeEllis sentenced Frederick Turner, 37, to a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison for dealing m… https://t.co/wGyPBXRIRn— Laura Coates (@Laura Coates) 1552004091
Let me add: (1) Judge Jackson still gets her say next week and can add as many as ten years (probably won’t add tha… https://t.co/Ws0Hwwd5FH— Elie Honig (@Elie Honig) 1552004063
For context on Manafort’s 47 months in prison, my client yesterday was offered 36-72 months in prison for stealing… https://t.co/rGZQZkAJAt— Scott Hechinger (@Scott Hechinger) 1552003581
A shorter sentence than black woman in Texas who got 5 years for voting while on supervised release https://t.co/CsIHHDbvw7— Ari Berman (@Ari Berman) 1552003420
