https://www.nytimes.com/2018/0...-manafort-trial.html

Setting a fast pace for a complicated trial, Judge T.S. Ellis III of the United States District Court in Alexandria, Va., repeatedly urged lawyers for both sides to speed up their decision-making so the jury could be seated.

By midday, a jury of six women and six men, with four alternates, was in place. Judge Ellis said the trial would move immediately to opening statements after a lunch recess.

Judge Ellis has told lawyers for both sides that he will not allow politics or anti-Russian sentiment to taint the jury. And he has warned prosecutors and defense lawyers to steer clear of references to Russia as they present their evidence.

Uzo Asonye, an assistant United States attorney on the team of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, told the jury that Mr. Manafort had engaged in an elaborate, multi-year scheme to evade $15 million in taxes and obtain fraudulent loans.

Setting out Mr. Manafort’s defense for the first time, one of his lawyers, Thomas Zehnle, blamed associates of Mr. Manafort for mishandling his finances, saying Mr. Manafort had placed his trust in the wrong people. He singled out Rick Gates, Mr. Manafort’s former business partner. Mr. Gates has pleaded guilty in the case and is cooperating with Mr. Mueller’s inquiry.

https://theconservativetreehou...rt-case/#more-152416

Corrupt federal prosecutor Uso Asonye was using corrupt FBI agent Mathew Mikuska (a member of the federal no-knock-team who raided Manafort’s condo), as a witness to introduce financial records against Manafort when Judge Ellis interjected about the purpose of the FBI agent as a witness on the issue given the pending testimony of key government witness Rick Gates, Manafort’s business partner.

Corrupt Mr. Asonye then informed the court Rick Gates might not be testifying.

Judge Ellis was not amused.

Mr. Gates, who oversaw some of the financial dealings of Mr. Manafort’s consulting business, was expected to be a key witness for the government.


But prosecutor Uso Asonye said jurors may not hear from Mr. Gates after all.

“He may testify, he may not,” Mr. Asonye told Judge T.S. Ellis III.

The revelation sent journalists and others out of the courtroom to report the disclosure.

“That’s news to me and about 25 others who scurried out of here like rats on a sinking ship,” Judge Ellis shot back.

Mr. Asonye attempted to backtrack, telling Judge Ellis that the evidence presented will determine if Mr. Gates‘ testifies.

That drew a sharp rebuke from Judge Ellis.

“You know who you are going to call,” He said. “If you are going to call him then this is a waste of time.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Manafort’s attorneys accused Mr. Gates of being the mastermind behind the crimes lodged against their client.

The federal judge presiding over the fraud trial of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort rebuked Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team repeatedly on Tuesday, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in the first prosecution arising out of Mueller's ongoing Russia probe.

The 78-year-old Reagan-appointed judge, T.S. Ellis, sent jurors out of the courtroom several times as he reminded prosecutors that Manafort is not on trial for simply having a "lavish lifestyle."

Ellis also surprised the courtroom late Tuesday, saying, "I’m hoping to finish this case much sooner than anyone predicted.”


The trial had been expected to last three weeks. Earlier in the day, prosecutors told the judge they thought the government could wrap its case by the end of next week.

Prosecutors have introduced a bevy of exhibits and are in the process of calling several witnesses as part of their effort to paint Manafort as a tax scofflaw who failed to report money spent on luxury items -- then lied to obtain bank loans when his foreign consulting work dried up.

But the Mueller team was rebuffed by Ellis when it tried to introduce photos of Manafort’s closets, filled with suits and high-end clothing. Ellis noted that those photos would eventually become public fodder for the media, and called them "unnecessary" for jurors to see.

“Enough is enough. We don’t convict people because they have a lot of money and throw it around,” he said.

He also dismissed an exhibit related to Manafort's lavish spending: "All this document shows is that Mr. Manafort had a lavish lifestyle," Ellis said. "It isn't relevant."

The legal standard for excluding evidence based on irrelevance or the risk of prejudicing jurors is high -- ordinarily, judges only prevent jurors from seeing evidence that has no tendency to make any fact at issue in the case more or less likely, or that would pose a substantial risk of unfairly arousing juror bias.

The prosecution was able to present some evidence of Manafort's spending. One witness, Ron Wall, the chief financial officer of high-end men's apparel store House of Bijan in Beverly Hills, Calif., testified that Manafort spent a grand total of $334,325 over a three-year period at the store.

That included one invoice for an assortment of clothing in 2010, at a total of roughly $128,000. Wall testified that most of those payments came from wire transfers from banks in Cyprus -- but he admitted on cross-examination by defense attorneys that he has other clients who similarly use wire transfers for costly items.

Ellis on Tuesday also specifically told prosecutors to stop using the word “oligarch” to describe wealthy Ukrainians, whose dealings with Manafort are at the heart of the fraud charges he faces in the northern Virginia federal court. He said the term is a "pejorative" that would risk unfairly prejudicing jurors against Manafort.

More witnesses are scheduled in the case, who appear ready to testify about Manafort's spending habits. Ellis' decisionmaking casts into doubt how much of that testimony will be heard by jurors, or what instructions jurors will get on how to consider this testimony.

In a surprising moment, prosecutor Uso Asonye told Ellis that Rick Gates -- Manafort's former business partner who had been considered a potential star witness for the prosecution -- might not be called to the stand after all.

"He may testify, he may not," Asonye informed Ellis, saying Mueller's team would make the call depending on the evidence presented in the case.

That disclosure prompted reporters to hustle out of the courtroom to report the news -- "scurry[ing] out of here like rats out of a sinking ship," Ellis said.

“You know who you are going to call,” Ellis sharply told Asonye. “If you are going to call him, then this [debate over a particular exhibit] is a waste of time.”

During opening arguments Monday, the defense team made it clear they intend to blame Gates, who handled some day-to-day business operations for Manafort, for many of the alleged reporting deficiencies Manafort is charged with.

Ellis interjected during the prosecutors' opening statement to remind jurors that wealth alone is not criminal, and he rebuked a prosecutor in front of the jury for saying that the "evidence will show" Manafort's guilt.

"It isn't a crime to have a lot of money and be profligate in your spending," Ellis said.

Jurors also heard Monday that Manafort bought an ostrich jacket worth more than $15,000. That prompted Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), to issue a statement calling for Manafort to turn over the jacket, which was "likely made from numerous juvenile ostriches whose throats were slit and whose feathers were plucked out."

Ellis had harshly admonished members of Mueller's team in a tense preliminary hearing in May, saying they "don't care" about Manafort and were pursuing the case against the 69-year-old ex-Trump adviser only as a means of targeting the president.

Ellis has issued tough -- sometimes colorful -- rulings against the defense during the Manafort case, as well. The judge, who took senior status more than a decade ago but continues to hear a limited docket, seemed to grow impatient on Tuesday after being told that attorneys on both sides were seen rolling their eyes in response to his rulings or after stepping back from the bench.

The lawyers' facial expressions, Ellis said, appeared to show them thinking, "Why do we have to put up with this idiot judge?"

Earlier this month, Ellis denied a defense motion to move the trial further from Washington, D.C., rejecting Manafort's argument that media coverage in the major market would risk biasing the jury.

"The mere fact that a case has drawn substantial media attention does not, by itself, warrant a change in venue," Ellis wrote in denying the request.

Separately, Ellis also excoriated the defense team earlier this month for opposing Manafort's transfer to an Alexandria, Va., jail -- shortly after complaining that the jail at which he was housed was also inadequate.

"Defense counsel has not identified any general or specific threat to defendant’s safety at the Alexandria Detention Center," Ellis wrote. "They have not done so, because the professionals at the Alexandria Detention Center are very familiar with housing high-profile defendants including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors."

He continued, "It is surprising and confusing when counsel identifies a problem and then opposes the most logical solution to that problem."



http://www.foxnews.com/politic...olorful-rulings.html

^^^^

I would love to be in that courtroom. The judge seems like a no noncense kind of guy!

Mueller prosecutor Uzo Asonye:

- appointed to U.S. attorney office by obama in 2010
- donated to Clinton campaign back in 2008
- field organizer for Kerry in 2004 in Broward County
- worked for Jesse Jackson Jr

^^^^

I'm never ceased to be amazed at how biased all these clowns are.

It isn't like the just (all) donate a little $ only to the DNC. No, they are often legal counsel for, or worked for, many Dem campaigns and organizations. Sheesh.

That's OK, so long as "justice" is served by getting Manafort on these counts dating back many years that the FBI decided wasn't a good case...until Trump got elected (of which these charges have zero to do with )

I hope they get their conniving clocks cleaned...

I had jury duty with that judge. Total ball buster.

Judge Ellis

So just help out a slower colleague here. It would appear to me that Judge Ellis will be extremely fair and neutral in the case, applying law and precedent. That about sum it up?

Oh...and question. If things start actually going into the "Russia" discussion (instead of this smoke and mirrors dog and pony show), can Sessions be called as a witness despite his recusal?

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
So just help out a slower colleague here. It would appear to me that Judge Ellis will be extremely fair and neutral in the case, applying law and precedent. That about sum it up?

Oh...and question. If things start actually going into the "Russia" discussion (instead of this smoke and mirrors dog and pony show), can Sessions be called as a witness despite his recusal?

It is hard to imagine how that would become relevant given the charges, but yes, Sessions could be called as a witness, assuming he has relevant information to testify to.

Recusal merely means that he can play no role in DOJ management of the investigation, will not receive reports, updates, make decisions, give advice, no role whatsoever. He can go about his other duties, engage in his hobbies, live at his own house, with his own wife, go shopping, mow his lawn, all just like a normal person.

I bet this will really piss off the judge.

More at the link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...-ostrich-jacket.html

Prosecutors release pictures of Paul Manafort's lavish wardrobe collection after being repeatedly rebuked by the judge for focusing on the Trump campaign chief's luxury lifestyle during their shaky start to the key trial

The pictures were released by federal prosecutors on the same day that the judge admonished them for focusing too much on the wealth flouted by President Trump’s former campaign manager.

The pictures could be an attempt by prosecutors to get public opinion on its side after it seemingly struggled on the first day of Manafort’s trial.

Federal prosecutors trying Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort release photos of his $15,000 ostrich coat and other luxury clothes
Judge T.S. Ellis III repeatedly tells prosecutors not to dwell on Manafort's wealthy lifestyle as they make their tax and bank fraud case
'The government doesn't want to prosecute somebody because they wear nice clothes, right?' as his $1.5 million spend on clothing was revealed
Jury in Alexandria, VA, was told how Manafort had spent on renovations and clothes but Ellis did not let prosecutors go into detail
He also barred them from calling Manafort's Ukrainian paymasters 'oligarchs' saying it was 'pejorative' - but hit out at both side's lawyers for 'rolling their eyes'
Mueller's prosecutor in court told Ellis he was considering not calling Rick Gates, Manafort's deputy who had flipped and was thought to be star witness
And he said prosecution would rest next week far ahead of the three weeks which had been expected for the trial

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
photos of his $15,000 ostrich coat

Class warfare in the courtroom.

Yeah, this judge doesn't seem the sort to let that fly.

ok, let me get this right

Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder

Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
ok, let me get this right

Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder

Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Manafort is not accused of that.

quote:

Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Correct.

https://www.usatoday.com/story...testimony/889346002/

prosecutors dismissed earlier suggestions that they would not call former Manafort business partner and the government’s star witness, Rick Gates.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Uzo Asonye briefly raised the prospect, prompting surprise from the judge.

Prosecutor Greg Andres, however, told the court Thursday that the government had “every intention” of calling Gates, who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors earlier this year after pleading guilty to conspiracy and lying to the FBI.

“It’s our intention to call him,” Andres said.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
ok, let me get this right
Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder
Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Manafort is not accused of that.

Neither was Capone...tax evasion was the crime he got 11 yrs for.

quote:

Originally posted by KMitch200:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
ok, let me get this right
Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder
Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Manafort is not accused of that.

Neither was Capone...tax evasion was the crime he got 11 yrs for.

What?

Manafort is charged with tax evasion, not that he was “on Trump’s campaign staff.”

So was Capone accused of tax evasion.

So Manafort made something like $60,000,000 during the period in question- Do people who make $60,000,000 do their own taxes?

It's funny the 1st Trial for Mueller and he can't mention Collusion, Trump or Russia.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
So Manafort made something like $60,000,000 during the period in question- Do people who make $60,000,000 do their own taxes?

It's funny the 1st Trial for Mueller and he can't mention Collusion, Trump or Russia.

Maybe this wasn’t supposed to go to trial.

The usual approach would be to hit the guy hard enough to make a deal. When that didn’t result in a deal, they hit harder, flipped his co-defendant. When that didn’t convince him to agree to a deal, they threw him in the Stoney Lonesome, solitary. Still no deal!

The guy is tough!