Paul Manafort FBI indictment reveals opulent life of Trump campaign manager: $849k in one clothes store and $934k on antique rugs
Former Trump campaign chairman splashed thousands of dollars on antique rugs, clothes and luxury cars
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Your support makes all the difference.Charges filed by the FBI as part of its investigation into alleged links between Donald Trump’s team and Russia have revealed the lavish life of luxury lived by Mr Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort.
Mr Manafort was charged by special counsel Robert Mueller with 12 offences, including money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements.
The 31-page indictment records how the lobbyist allegedly channelled money from a number of offshore accounts into luxury goods in the US.
According to the document, Mr Manafort spent more than $930,000 (£704,000) on antique rugs at a shop in Alexandria, Virginia, between 2009 and 2010 alone.
He is also said to have paid $850,000 (£643,000) to a single New York clothing store over six years, and forked out $5.4 million (£4.1 million) between 2008 and 2014 on a home improvement service in the Hamptons, where he owns a home. He also allegedly spent $800,000 (£606,000) on landscaping services there.
Mr Manafort, who served as Mr Trump’s campaign chairman between June and August 2016, is also said to have spent $1.3 million (£984,000) at a lighting and entertainment company in Florida, where he owns a mansion, and $600,000 (£454,000) at an antiques dealer in New York.
The indictment says: "Manafort used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States, without paying taxes on that income.
"Manafort, without reporting the income to his tax preparer or the United States, spent millions of dollars on luxury goods and services for himself and his extended family through payments wired from offshore nominee accounts to United States vendors."
The lobbyist reportedly purchased several properties, including two in New York and one in the upmarket Hamptons area two hours outside the city. He also spent money on a Mercedes Benz and at least three Range Rovers.
Mr Manafort’s business partner, Rick Gates, was also charged and revealed to have expensive tastes of his own.
The pair were indicted by a grand jury last week but the charges were only opened on Monday. The allegations against them include conspiracy against the US, conspiracy to money launder, failure to declare their work for a foreign state, and making false statements.
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