President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded not guilty to a combined set of charges that were filed against him last week by special counsel Robert Mueller, who has been probing Russian interference in the U.S. election.
A trial date has been set for September 17.
Among the new charges are accusations that Manafort, along with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates’ help, laundered more than $30 million through hidden offshore accounts and “used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States without paying taxes on that income.”
The two allegedly disguised the money earned from their work in Ukraine as “loans” to avoid taxes, and they doctored financial documents to overstate their income to obtain additional loans.
The indictment says they used the money to buy real estate, make home improvements, and in Gates’ case, pay for his children’s school tuition.
Gates pleaded guilty last week to financial fraud and lying to investigators in connection with his lobbying efforts for the Moscow-backed government in Ukraine that predated his role in the U.S. political race.
Mueller also has secured guilty pleas from Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and former foreign affairs adviser George Papadopoulos for lying to investigators about their Russia contacts.
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