Michael Barnhart said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

SpreadsheetAg said:

---

---

Proving income? No it is about proving expenses in excess of his declared income.

---

Been having internet trouble, so couldn't show off beforehand. I suspected the tailor would testify to payment using out of country funds. Relevant to show Manafort's direct access to those funds for spending in the US. In other words, it's a link to suggest every dollar in those accounts constitutes income to Manafort. Not huge, but relevant.

---

The government also introduced a stipulation that Paul Manafort and his daughter Andrea used a $83,525 wire transfer from Lucicle Consultants to buy a 2012 Land Rover Range Rover from Don Beyer Motors in April of 2012. A stipulation means Manafort's defense does not contest that piece of evidence.

Paul and Kathleen Manafort used the same company to lease a 2012 Range Roger with a $12,525 down payment that same month. In June, they bought a Range Rover, and, again, $67,655 of the cost was paid for through Lucicle Consultants.

Time for the tax returns.

Ronald Wall tallied for the jury the total amount that Paul Manafort spent on House of Bijan items, including a Limited Edition black titanium Royal Way watch with crystal, an invoice noted.

Between 2010 and 2012, Wall told the jury that Manafort spent more than $334,000 at the luxury menswear store. He then walked the jury through documents showing that the invoices were paid from Cyprus-based bank accounts held by Global Highway Limited, Yiakora Ventures Limited and Lucicle Consultants.

Wall was briefly cross-examined by defense attorney Jay Nanavati, telling the jury that he never had interactions with Manafort and did not know anything about his purchases beyond what the records demonstrate. That is important because prosecutors are trying to tie Manafort directly to the movement of his money, which they say he failed to pay taxes on.

Asked in the hallway after leaving the stand about his own suit, Wall opened his suit jacket to show its lime-green lining, which matched his silk lime green tie. The suit was made by Bijan, he said.
"Very fine wool," he said. "Super great stuff."

Judge T.S. Ellis III continued to show impatience with questions from prosecutors that he believed were intended merely to display Manafort's lavish lifestyle. For instance, he allowed Katzman to describe Manafort's annual spending but not to add up the total for jurors.

"Let's move on. Enough is enough," Ellis said sternly. "They can add."

Quote:

---

Wall was briefly cross-examined by defense attorney Jay Nanavati, telling the jury that he never had interactions with Manafort and did not know anything about his purchases beyond what the records demonstrate. That is important because prosecutors are trying to tie Manafort directly to the movement of his money, which they say he failed to pay taxes on.

---

I assume that was the company accountant?

ETA: Sounds like an open account type of arrangement to me.

And now we know why Gates may not testify. If his credibility is burned in this trial that is on shaky ground already, his testimony will be worthless in the DC Court.

Quote:

---

Manafort's lawyers, though, have made Gates the centerpiece of their defense. They have said Gates embezzled money from the men's business and the fraud was meant to hide his own misdeeds."Rick Gates had his hand in the cookie jar and he couldn't take the risk that his boss might find out," one of Manafort's defense attorneys said Today."

---

I found a quote that shows what provoked the Gates may not testify statement

Quote:

---

While discussing some of the financial records seized during the raid, Mr. Mikuska began describing a document put together by Mr. Gates.

Judge Ellis interrupted the testing to say the agent's testimony is unnecessary because Mr. Gates will testify.

"He may testify, he may not," Mr. Asonye told Judge T.S. Ellis III.

The revelation sent journalists and others out of the courtroom to report the disclosure.

"That's news to me and about 25 others who scurried out of here like rats on a sinking ship," Judge Ellis shot back.

Mr. Asonye attempted to backtrack, telling Judge Ellis that the evidence presented will determine if Mr. Gates' testifies.

That drew a sharp rebuke from Judge Ellis.

"You know who you are going to call," He said. "If you are going to call him then this is a waste of time."

---

Sounds to me that Ellis is not going to allow much duplication of evidence, Asonye shot from the hip and Ellis was not buying it at all. Unforced error on Asonye's part, although 90% of judges would let him get away with that.

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

I found a quote that shows what provoked the Gates may not testify statement

Quote:

---

While discussing some of the financial records seized during the raid, Mr. Mikuska began describing a document put together by Mr. Gates.

Judge Ellis interrupted the testing to say the agent's testimony is unnecessary because Mr. Gates will testify.

"He may testify, he may not," Mr. Asonye told Judge T.S. Ellis III.

The revelation sent journalists and others out of the courtroom to report the disclosure.

"That's news to me and about 25 others who scurried out of here like rats on a sinking ship," Judge Ellis shot back.

Mr. Asonye attempted to backtrack, telling Judge Ellis that the evidence presented will determine if Mr. Gates' testifies.

That drew a sharp rebuke from Judge Ellis.

"You know who you are going to call," He said. "If you are going to call him then this is a waste of time."

---

---

That was my thought when I read the opening statements yesterday. Looked like the Defense was going to finger Gates who has immunity. Immunity = misdeeds, guilt, dirty, untrustworthy --> criminal Gates

So now Mueller isn't going to put him on as a witness?

I think Asonye was bluffing and Ellis called him out.

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

Daniel Opsut, a salesman at Mercedes Benz of Alexandria.

Opsut testified that Kathleen Manafort, Paul Manafort's wife, paid for a new SL550 in 2012 with a wire transfer from Lucicle Consultants Ltd

"It's not common, but it's not unheard of" for customers to pay by wire transfer, Opsut testified.

---

I paid for a car by wire transfer on Monday. I hope Mueller doesn't find out!

Hogties said:

---

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

Daniel Opsut, a salesman at Mercedes Benz of Alexandria.

Opsut testified that Kathleen Manafort, Paul Manafort's wife, paid for a new SL550 in 2012 with a wire transfer from Lucicle Consultants Ltd

"It's not common, but it's not unheard of" for customers to pay by wire transfer, Opsut testified.

---

I paid for a car by wire transfer on Monday. I hope Mueller doesn't find out!

---

From an overseas bank account?

Hogties said:

---

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

Daniel Opsut, a salesman at Mercedes Benz of Alexandria.

Opsut testified that Kathleen Manafort, Paul Manafort's wife, paid for a new SL550 in 2012 with a wire transfer from Lucicle Consultants Ltd

"It's not common, but it's not unheard of" for customers to pay by wire transfer, Opsut testified.

---

I paid for a car by wire transfer on Monday. I hope Mueller doesn't find out!

---

Was it from a bank you use to launder money in Cyprus where you keep money you don't report as income?

If not, you should be okay

Agnzona said:

---

Could you imagine the stuff they would find on the Clintons finances if they did thus type of digging?

---

They'd find a money laundering operation just like the major lobbyists have, except the hide behind the guise of a Foundation. Instead of shell companies they have shell foundations

Clinton Foundation

Clinton Global Initiative

Clinton Climate Initiative

Clinton Health Matters Initiative

Clinton Development Initiative

Clinton Haiti Initiative

Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership

No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project Foundation

Too Small to Fail Initiative


Board of Directors

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, FOUNDER AND BOARD CHAIR
CHELSEA CLINTON, VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD
FRANK GIUSTRA
ROLANDO GONZALEZ-BUNSTER
AMBASSADOR ERIC GOOSBY, MD
ROBERT S. HARRISON
HADEEL IBRAHIM
LISA JACKSON
BRUCE LINDSEY
CHERYL MILLS

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

---

Will she bring her armed security guards along?

I'm not saying where that money came from.

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

---

She scary!!

Rule 1: Hot enough to overcome crazy?

BMX Bandit said:

---

Hogties said:

---

RoscoePColtrane said:

---

Daniel Opsut, a salesman at Mercedes Benz of Alexandria.

Opsut testified that Kathleen Manafort, Paul Manafort's wife, paid for a new SL550 in 2012 with a wire transfer from Lucicle Consultants Ltd

"It's not common, but it's not unheard of" for customers to pay by wire transfer, Opsut testified.

---

I paid for a car by wire transfer on Monday. I hope Mueller doesn't find out!

---

Was it from a bank you use to launder money in Cyprus where you keep money you don't report as income?

If not, you should be okay

---

Cypress Texas.

aggiehawg said:

---

She does know she can wax her forearms, doesn't she?

---

Kinds of strange that she doesn't do that. Otherwise, she is a very attractive woman.

However, my judgement on such issues has been called into question lately so I'm suspect at best.

Sight unseen, I'll bet your husband considers himself a very lucky man Mrs. Hawg.

Whoa! What do we have here:

Quote:

---

Prosecution questioning Wednesday of the former manager of a luxury men's clothing boutique Paul Manafort frequented, Alan Couture in New York, revealed an intriguing and mysterious development: someone apparently forged invoices from the store,

Seeking to establish just how expensive Manafort's tastes were, Manafort's team got Maximillian Katzmanthe store's ex-manager and son of its ownerto certify that Manafort ran up bills of more than $900,000 between 2010 and 2014.

Katzman said the boutique had only about 40 customers and Manafort ranked in the top five. Unlike other clients, Manafort didn't pay the firm by check or credit card, but in funds wired from accounts abroad in the names of foreign businesses. "This is the only client that paid us in international wire transfers," Katzman aid.

Although many details about Manafort's spending have been made public, prosecutor Greg Andres surprised many in the courtroom by posting an invoice on the TV monitors from "Alan Corture LLC."
Asked about the bill, Katzman quickly indicated it was fake. "It's off by a letter," he said. "The zip code is incorrect."

Unlike the real invoices, the invoice Andres showed did not contain any direct reference to Manafort. Instead, it appeared to be intended to show direct billing to a company linked to Manafort, Global Endeavor LLC. That was one of the companies used to wire funds to pay Manafort's bills.

Katzman said he knew the invoice was not authentic. "We have never billed to Global Endeavor, nor had a client named Global Endeavor," he said.

Prosecutors didn't say why someone might have forged the invoices, but they have accused Rick Gates of conspiring with Manafort to forge financial records in connection with loan applications. A forged invoice might have been useful in persuading bookkeepers or tax preparers that the payments to Alan Couture were some sort of business-to-business transaction rather than a way to cover Manafort's personal bills.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Jay Nanavati suggested the payments from abroad might not be surprising given Manafort's regular travel abroad. "Is it fair to say Mr. Manafort was one of your more international clients?" the lawyer asked.

"Absolutely," Katzman replied.

Nanavati also suggested that Manafort's partner and aide Rick Gates might have been behind the apparently forged invoices. Katzman told the court he had some dealings with Gates to try to get bills paid, but under questioning by the defense attorney, Katzman said he could not address Gates' educational level "or spelling ability."

---

So the prosecution deliberately introduced a forged invoice? Uhhm, okay, I guess.

LINK

aggiehawg said:

---

She does know she can wax her forearms, doesn't she?

---

she seems like the type that would insist her husband/boyfriend wax his coin purse before she'd be willing to do this.

The fake invoices show the coverup. That's why they are evidence

BMX Bandit said:

---

The fake invoices show the coverup. That's why they are evidence

---

so the scam was creating a fake invoice, booking the transaction, and then flowing cash elsewhere?

But the store would provide the invoice, not the customer.

Quote:

---

in order to get Manafort's bills paid, someone repeatedly forged invoices. Real bills sent to Manafort were at some point converted to fake ones directed to various shell companies allegedly controlled by the longtime political operative.

---

blindey said:

---

BMX Bandit said:

---

The fake invoices show the coverup. That's why they are evidence

---

so the scam was creating a fake invoice, booking the transaction, and then flowing cash elsewhere?

---

The fake invoice was used for a wire transfer? Sounds to me like a fake payee scheme promulgated to cover embezzlement within a Manafort company. I mean once you get into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for clothes, who would be following the invoices that closely especially from a trusted partner?

Sounds more like Gates would be the culprit instead of Manafort based on what has been revealed thus far. Gates controlled the money and where it went. Creating fake invoices (and accounts to match) and redirecting funds to pad his own pockets, perhaps?

Why did this spring to mind?

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1024812779268501504.html

Thread by Techno Fog, an attorney, on the transcript of Mueller & Co.'s opening statement at the Manafort trail. Relates what the government intends to prove Manafort was doing. A thread on Manafort's opening statement is in progress.

"The appointment of special prosecutors has the potential to disrupt these checks and balances, and to inject a level of toxic partisanship into investigation of matters of public importance." - Judge Ellis

Uhmm, that's not a great opening statement and it ended on a dud note. Essentially, "yeah we are relying on Manafort's fellow crooks but not by choice," doesn't exactly bolster their credibility.