Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, left, and special counsel and former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III. I’m a former assistant district attorney, and even after news of the plea broke on Friday, I didn’t think Manafort stood to gain much from a cooperation deal. Under federal sentencing guidelines, a prison term is determined by a defendant’s criminal history and his conduct during the charged crime. For the 69-year-old Manafort, a prison sentence of 10 years or more could very well mean spending the rest of his life in prison. It also included admissions to charges that the Virginia jury hung on, though Friday’s cooperation deal agreed to dismiss them after Manafort is sentenced.

Source: Washington Post September 15, 2018 12:00 UTC