Rick Gates a former senior advisor on Trump’s campaign team was charged alongside Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman. They were previously charged with money laundering and the cases are ongoing. The two associates were surprised on Thursday when Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel running the Russian probe released fresh indictments against them. He additionally charged Manafort and Gates for tax evasion and bank fraud.
Recent reports revealed that both Manafort’s and Gates counsels had problems with their cases. Manafort is under house arrest and still has not gotten a consensus with the prosecutors while Gates lawyers dropped him as a client following irreconcilable reasons.
Rick Gates’ Guilty Plea
It can be assumed that Rick Gates took a guilty plea after the additional charges were issued by Robert Mueller. Gates guilty plea on charges of federal conspiracy transformed him from a defendant to a cooperating witness in Robert’s investigations into President Trump’s election campaign and Moscow’s interference.
Gates revealed that he will help Mueller’s investigation in any and all matters as the prosecutors tied to the probe continue to investigate Paul Manafort on the 2016 elections and links to Russian meddling. Gates move seems to throw Manafort, a longtime business associate “under the bus.”
Rick Gates’ cooperation is a breakthrough for Mueller’s investigation into Paul Manafort and the Russian probe as Gates gives the team a witness with firsthand information on Manafort’s finances and political links through his consulting work with a Ukraine political party close to Russia. Gates is ultimately an advantage to the Mueller team because he had the highest access levels in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Rick Gates made his guilty plea at the Washington federal courthouse where he somberly stood beside his attorney and remained silent except when he spoke to answer routine questions from the judge for instance, if he understood the rights he was giving up by pleading guilty.
Charges against Rick Gates
Gates pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiring against the US government which include unregistered foreign lobbying and fraud. He also pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities during a recent interview under the Russian probe. The charges he admitted to could have put him behind bars for the period of 57 to 71 months and additionally fined him $20,000 to $200,000. But because of his guilty plea, the prosecutors may seek a shorter sentence depending on Gates’ cooperation.
Despite Gate’s move, Manafort has come out to state that he maintains his innocence. He expressed his sentiments on Friday saying he had hoped his business colleague (Gates) had the strength to battle and prove his innocence.
