“When you follow the trail of [Paul] Manafort’s money, it is littered with lies,” prosecutor Greg Andres told a federal jury in northern Virginia on Wednesday in closing arguments in the bank and tax fraud trial of Manafort, President Trump’s onetime campaign chairman. “Mr. Manafort lied to keep more money when he had it, and he lied to get more money when he didn’t,” Andres said, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors allege Manafort failed to pay taxes on millions he made from his work for a Russia-friendly Ukrainian political party, then lied to get loans when the cash stopped coming in.
The case is being prosecuted by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The strength of the special counsel’s case against Paul Manafort is the overwhelming documentary evidence — bank records, tax returns, emails, invoices, profit and loss statements. Throughout the trial, Judge T.S. Ellis III derided prosecutors for focusing on Manafort’s extravagant spending on suits and home improvements. The defense, which presented no witnesses, was scheduled to make its closing arguments later on Wednesday.