In a ruling earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who will decide Manafort’s sentence, agreed. A Mueller prosecutor also said that an August 2016 meeting between the two men goes to the “heart” of the Russia probe. In the filing Monday, Manafort’s lawyers asked Jackson to choose a sentence that is “significantly below the statutory maximum” of five years on each count. Manafort was relatively healthy when he was taken into custody, but he has deteriorated rapidly since then, his lawyers say. Manafort has been punished substantially, including the forfeiture of most of his assets,” the lawyers said.

Source: National Post February 26, 2019 01:57 UTC