Disgraced former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is seen for the first time since his early release from prison because of coronavirus – and he’s already flouting quarantine.
An ankle monitor could be seen poking out of the bottom of the 71-year-old fraudster’s pants as he met up with family in a Virginia suburb of Washington D.C on Thursday.
Manafort was freed Wednesday after his lawyers argued he was especially vulnerable to COVID-19 behind bars because of his age and a litany of health complaints that require 11 different medications per day.
But, as these exclusive images taken by DailyMail.com reveal, the portly felon did not seem too worried about the possibility of infection when he enjoyed a close quarters catch-up with his daughter and grandson.
Neither Manafort’s lawyers, nor the Federal Bureau of Prisons have disclosed the precise terms of his release into home confinement one year into a seven and half year sentence for bank fraud and tax evasion.
Disgraced former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is seen for the first time since his early release from prison because of coronavirus – and he’s already flouting quarantine
Manafort was freed Wednesday after his lawyers argued he was especially vulnerable to COVID-19 behind bars because of his age and a litany of health complaints that require 11 different medications per day
But, as these exclusive images taken by DailyMail.com reveal, the portly felon did not seem too worried about the possibility of infection when he enjoyed a close quarters catch-up with his daughter and grandson
An ankle monitor could be seen poking out of the bottom of the 71-year-old fraudster’s pants as he met up with family in a Virginia suburb of Washington D.C on Thursday
Manafort was seen playing in the back yard with a little boy believed to be his grandson, at one point pushing the youngster on a swing
Neither Manafort’s lawyers, nor the Federal Bureau of Prisons have disclosed the precise terms of his release into home confinement one year into a seven and half year sentence for bank fraud and tax evasion
Manafort was due to leave prison in November 2024 but his lawyers argued for his early release saying a combination of old age and health issues, including a recent ‘cardiac event’ and a bout of bronchitis, made him especially vulnerable to COVID-19. They added that he takes 11 prescription medications daily, eight of which are ‘relevant’ to his risk of succumbing to the virus in custody. He appeared in court in a wheelchair last year after facing ‘significant issues’ with his health
Stay-at-home convicts are typically restricted to one location unless they have permission to visit a doctor, go to church or other limited activities.
But DailyMail.com can reveal that Manafort was at two different addresses Thursday: a residential apartment building where he appears to be living and at his youngest daughter’s suburban home, half a mile away.
The fraudster and his wife Kathleen, 66, drove over to the four-bed property where 34-year-old Andrea Manafort lives with her husband Christopher Shand, arriving around 2pm in a swish Land Rover Discovery.
Manafort, notorious for his sharp suits and lavish fashion choices that once included a jacket made from ostrich, wore khakis, designer boat shoes and a mint green Ralph Lauren shirt for the family reunion that lasted until 8pm.
He and Kathleen wore surgical-style face masks but Manafort was seen playing in the back yard with a little boy believed to be his grandson, at one point pushing the youngster on a swing.
The state of Virginia is still subject to a strict executive order that banned gatherings of more than ten people, closed schools and left all non-essential stores shuttered.
Governor Ralph Northam also urged Virginians ‘to limit all non-essential travel outside the home’ and told citizens ‘with chronic health conditions or aged 65 or older to self-quarantine’.
That advice seemed similarly lost on redhead Kathleen, 66, who left her daughter’s house briefly to take a box home and came back minutes later carrying two red peppers.
Sporting a pronounced gut and a little more grey hair than before his incarceration in March 2019, Manafort did not exhibit any obvious ill-effects from his time behind bars
Manafort wore khakis, designer boat shoes and a mint green Ralph Lauren shirt for the family reunion that lasted until 8pm
The felon is notorious for his sharp suits and fashion choices that once included a $15,000 jacket made from ostrich (left). He also spent lavishly on outerwear jackets and suits from high-end stores. According to one invoice, he spent a total of $15,195 to buy just four suits and two trousers – among other purchases
Manafort pleaded guilty to further related charges in a separate case in Washington, D.C., though none of his crimes pointed towards any collusion, nor did they relate to his stint as Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign chairman (pictured in 2016)
The couple, who have been married for the past 42 years, left after dinner and went straight back to their apartment building, a few blocks away.
Sporting a pronounced gut and a little more grey hair than before his incarceration in March 2019, Manafort did not exhibit any obvious ill-effects from his time behind bars.
The veteran lobbyist was convicted the previous August of tax evasion, failure to report foreign bank accounts, engaging in unregistered lobbying for foreign entities and witness tampering after he came under the scrutiny of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
He pleaded guilty to further related charges in a separate case in Washington, D.C., though none of his crimes pointed towards any collusion, nor did they relate to his stint as Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign chairman.
Manafort was due to leave prison in November 2024 but his lawyers argued for his early release saying a combination of old age and health issues, including a recent ‘cardiac event’ and a bout of bronchitis, made him especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
They added that he takes 11 prescription medications daily, eight of which are ‘relevant’ to his risk of succumbing to the virus in custody, where it is far harder to adequately social distance.
‘Mr. Manafort is at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 at FCI Loretto due to his age and pre-existing health conditions, and it is imperative that Mr. Manafort be transferred to home confinement immediately in order to minimize the likelihood of Mr. Manafort contracting or spreading the potentially fatal disease,’ his lawyer Kevin Downing wrote last month to authorities.
Manafort was due to leave prison in November 2024 but his lawyers argued for his early release saying a combination of old age and health issues, including a recent ‘cardiac event’ and a bout of bronchitis, made him especially vulnerable to COVID-19
Governor Ralph Northam also urged Virginians ‘to limit all non-essential travel outside the home’ and told citizens ‘with chronic health conditions or aged 65 or older to self-quarantine’. That advice seemed similarly lost on redhead Kathleen, 66, who left her daughter’s house briefly to take a box home and came back minutes later carrying two red peppers
The fraudster and his wife Kathleen, 66, drove over to the four-bed property where 34-year-old Andrea Manafort lives with her husband Christopher Shand, arriving around 2pm in a swish Land Rover Discovery
DailyMail.com can reveal that Manafort was at two different addresses Thursday: a residential apartment building where he appears to be living and at his youngest daughter’s suburban home, half a mile away
Pre-COVID, stay-at-home convicts were routinely fitted with ankle tags that triggered alarms if they strayed anywhere from 50 to 150ft from where they were supposed to be
‘Given the growing number of cases in Pennsylvania and increasing challenges in testing inmates and staff potentially exposed to COVID-19, it is only a matter of time before the infection spreads to staff and inmates at FCI Loretto, at which time it may be too late to prevent high-risk inmates, such as Mr. Manafort, from contracting the potentially deadly virus.’
The federal Bureau of Prisons agreed, despite there being no recorded cases of coronavirus infection at FCI Loretto, a former monastery and low security facility federal in west-central Pennsylvania where Manafort was quietly collected on Wednesday morning by Kathleen and another unidentified family member.
Around 2,500 prisoners have been switched to home confinement since the start of the pandemic, which has infected 2,322 federal inmates and killed 52 nationwide.
Pre-COVID, stay-at-home convicts were routinely fitted with ankle tags that triggered alarms if they strayed anywhere from 50 to 150ft from where they were supposed to be.
However US Attorney General William Barr has acknowledged that the Bureau of Prisons currently only has enough resources to closely monitor freed cons who pose a risk to public safety.
Manafort is the latest of a number of high-profile inmates with connections to the President who have had their jail stints cut short because of coronavirus. Stormy Daniels’ former attorney Michael Avenatti, who was convicted of attempting to extort $20 million from Nike, has been granted home confinement for 90 days
Michael Cohen, 53, the president’s former lawyer who brokered hush money payments with women including Stormy Daniels, is due to be released at the end of May
Manafort is the latest of a number of high-profile inmates with connections to the President who have had their jail stints cut short because of coronavirus.
Michael Cohen, 53, the president’s former lawyer who brokered hush money payments with women including Stormy Daniels, is due to be released at the end of May.
Daniels’ former attorney Michael Avenatti, who was convicted of attempting to extort $20 million from Nike, has been granted home confinement for 90 days.
COVID-19 has spread rapidly through prison populations and accounts for huge percentages of some states’ total case counts.
In New York City, inmates from Rikers Island were released early in the pandemic amid fears they would be unfairly exposed if they had to remain behind bars.
Officials at the time said they were faced with a dilemma of protecting public health and protecting society.
AG Barr ordered federal prisons to maximum their release efforts where they could and states have taken their own steps to reduce prison populations.