Here's How the Government Plans to Take Down Paul Manafort
The fraud case against President Trump’s former campaign chairman is highly complex. But prosecutors are sending a simple message to jurors: “Manafort lied.”
Paul Manafort allegedly laundered millions of dollars through a complex network of offshore shell companies and hid more than $60 million in foreign bank accounts to conceal his income from the IRS. But the government’s pitch to jurors on Tuesday, during the first day of his trial, boiled down to a simple, even relatable offense: Manafort is a “shrewd” liar who wouldn’t pay his taxes.
The prosecution’s opening statement began Tuesday afternoon after a jury-selection process that lasted mere hours. Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye outlined the government’s case, before Manafort’s lawyers made
