Yesterday, Thursday March 7, 2019, for those of you in other planetary time zones, Paul Manafort, (presidential campaign chairman for Donald Trump), a man with shady Russian and Ukrainian ties, (understatement), was sentenced to 3.9 years in prison by Judge T.S. Ellis. (Not to be confused with long dead 19th century American poet T.S.Elliot.) Judge Ellis, I understand, also goes by the name Judge Fvckwad.
Paul Manafort’s defense team begged for an unheard of lenient sentence of 5 years.
Math time:
12 months x 5 years = 60 months requested
Manafort received 3.9 years = 47 months
I can’t show my work because I copied the answer,
but the answer is…
13 months… Manafort received a sentence 13 months less than the insanely lenient sentence his attorneys requested.
Manafort’s lenient sentence has caused outrage among anyone with an understanding of white collar criminal privilege. I tried to point out to a few people that the sentence did not encompass crimes related to the 2016 election. From what I understand, and I am quite frequently wrong, (see yesterday’s post), it only pertained to Manafort’s $6 million tax fraud.
Still, let’s put this in perspective. Paul Manafort failed to disclose $16 million to the IRS. Let those among us whom haven’t forgotten about $16 million cast the first stone, (not Roger Stone please). With that “omission”, Paul Manafort defrauded the IRS of $6 million. The law recommends 19-24 YEARS for this crime.
The punishment Manafort received was the equivalent of what one can expect if they steal $100, while not rich or white.
Remember how Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million? And remember how he was desperate to have people believe the loss was due to (nonexistent) “widespread voter fraud among democrats”? Remember when Trump found his scapegoat, a woman who voted while on probation, not knowing she wasn’t allowed to do so? That woman who cast a single vote, by mistake, received a harsher sentence than Paul Manafort, a traitor.
Prior to announcing the sentence, Judge Ellis said Manafort has led an “otherwise blameless life.”
But, Manafort has gout, so let’s overlook all that.
I am a Pollyanna at heart. I look for a shred of good news to focus on with everything in life, because if I don’t do that, anguish, despair and apathy put me in a chokehold, and then who will put my towels in the dryer?
The ray of light I found was the idea that: “tomorrow is another day.” Tomorrow, actually next week, Paul Manafort will be back in court to be sentenced for other crimes. He will eventually be tried for treason, and when the feds have had their fill, the southern district of New York gets to eat… then he’ll be the one “who’s sorry now”. The odds are pretty good that Paul Manafort will die in prison.
*Entertainment break:
Again, I’ll say it without any poetic 🙄 flourish, Paul Manafort has yet to be charged with anything relating to the 2016 election.
And let me point this out, Robert Mueller’s team of prosecutors were not happy when Judge Ellis announced his 3.9 year decision.
I don’t care about Paul Manafort’s ailing health, he came to the hearing in a wheelchair with a bandaged foot, to ask the judge for compassion.
*👆🏼photo from Daily Beast article below my text👇🏼
“To say I feel humiliated and ashamed would be a gross understatement.” ~Paul Manafort
Fvck that noise.
Of those Robert Mueller has prosecuted as part of this Trump/Russia investigation, six have been sentenced so far, and believe it or not, Paul Manafort’s 3.9 year sentence has been the harshest doled out to a Trump associate to date.
Next week, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of US District Court for the District of Columbia will sentence Manafort for two conspiracy charges… so chin up… but those crimes only carry a maximum penalty of five years.
Ugh… I have towels in the washer.
Manafort Got Off Easy for Now but Mueller’s Not Done Yet
Texas Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Voter Fraud Loses Bid for New Trial
The ‘Otherwise Blameless Life’ of Paul Manafort
Paul Manafort Is Sentenced to Less Than 4 Years in 1 of 2 Cases Against Him
A lot from Lydia 
Unbelievably frustrating.
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It’s like Brock Turners “He doesn’t eat his steak anymore” So they gave him a lesser sentence?
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Ugh don’t get me started on Brock Turner. I remember his dad saying it only 20 minutes of his life, and now he’ll be paying for it forever. Nice job dad.
I’ve always told my 3 children (both sexes) that one bad choice can change everything, so tread lightly. Lo and behold, none have attempted to rape an unconscious woman they dragged behind a dumpster.
I’m about to get crude so I need to end this comment here before I lose readers.
I’m not young, but I’d like to cage fight a few people.
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