Former Trump aide to testify against Manafort
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Rick Gates will plead guilty to fraud-related charges in the next few days, the LA Times reports
LA Times: Former Trump aide Gates to plead guilty, testify against Manafort
(CNN)Former
Trump presidential campaign aide Rick Gates has agreed to testify
against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and will plead
guilty to fraud related charges, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Times reported Sunday a revised plea will be presented in federal court "within the next few days."
CNN first reported last week that Gates was finalizing a plea deal and that he had been in plea negotiations with special counsel Robert Mueller's team for a month.
Gates
can expect "a substantial reduction in his sentence," to likely about
18 months in prison if he cooperates with the investigation, according
to the LA Times report. He is also likely going to have to forfeit any
cash or valuables obtained through his alleged illegal activity.
Aside
from the legal maneuvering, the father of four has faced personal and
financial pressure to bring his legal proceedings to a speedy
resolution, a person familiar with the situation told CNN.
Gates
has told associates he had hoped for outside assistance from a legal
defense fund, but deep-pocketed GOP donors have shown little interest in
helping either Gates or Manafort cover their legal fees, two sources
said.
Once a plea deal is in place,
Gates would become yet another known cooperator in Mueller's sprawling
probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
It
would also increase the pressure to cooperate on Gates' co-defendant
Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, who has pleaded not
guilty to Mueller's indictment and is preparing for a trial on alleged
financial crimes unrelated to the campaign. Gates pleaded not guilty on
October 30 alongside Manafort.
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