President Donald Trump pardoned his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort for financial crimes predating Trump's run for office, but now the Justice Department says Manafort owes $3 million in penalties for not declaring his foreign bank accounts during the same time period, the Washington Post reports. Manafort, a longtime political consultant, was ousted from Trump's campaign in 2016 amid questions about his consulting work for Ukrainian political figures, which earned him millions.
After being convicted by a jury of using foreign accounts to hide the proceeds of his Ukrainian consulting, Manafort pleaded guilty to money laundering and obstruction. He was sentenced to more than seven years in prison, but released early in 2020 over health concerns during the pandemic. Trump pardoned him shortly before leaving office. The Justice Department's lawsuit, filed in West Palm Beach, Fl., federal court, cited Manafort "for his willful failure to timely report his financial interest in foreign bank accounts" in 2013 and 2014. Manafort’s lawyer, Jeff Neiman, said in a statement that his client has been trying for months to resolve the reporting issue, which he dismissed as “simply failing to file a tax form.”
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