News

Ex-Trump Aide Rick Gates, Key Mueller Witness, Sentenced To 45 Days In Jail & Fined $20,000 For Lying To FBI

Rick Gatesa former adviser on President Donald Trump‘s 2016 campaign, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation on Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to federal investigators.

A federal judge also said 47-year-old Gates — a key witness in former special counsel Robert Mueller‘s Russia probe — will have to pay a $20,000 fine and complete 300 hours of community service as part of his sentence.

Gates previously served as right-hand man to Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul ManafortGates admitted to Judge Amy Berman Jackson that he and Manafort were involved in an effort to hide $75 million in foreign bank accounts tied to their longtime lobbying campaign for pro-Russia political candidates in Ukraine. A prison term lasting between 46 and 57 months had been recommended for Gates.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

“I accept complete responsibility for my actions,” Gates told Jackson.

Gates ultimately became one of Mueller’s key witnesses, as the former political consultant testified at the trials of Manafort, Roger Stone and Greg Craig, a well-known Washington attorney and another former business associate with ties to lobbying in Ukraine. Stone and Manafort were both convicted, while Craig was ultimately acquitted.

“He came across to me as extremely candid,” Jackson said of Gates, per the Times. “He doesn’t come across as some kind of prosecution puppet.”

Prosecutors and Gates both told Jackson that his financial crimes did not merit a lengthy prison sentence because he spent more than 500 hours cooperating with the FBI via interviews. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston also noted to the judge that Gates is the primary caregiver to his four children, as his wife is severely ill.

 

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Says ‘Gates Of Hell’ Will Be Opened On Opponents If Trump Is Reelected

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn declared that the "gates of hell" would be unleashed if former…

13 hours ago

VIDEO: Kamala Harris Hugs First Person In Line For Her Ellipse Rally, Chats With Her Mom

https://youtu.be/JQCdk-71tG0 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris met with the woman who was the first in…

14 hours ago

VIDEO: Harris Vows To Put ‘Country Above Party’ In Front Of 75,000 People At The Ellipse

https://youtu.be/xc72fdqkaVc Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to put “country above party and above self” as…

1 day ago

Trump-Friendly Judge Aileen Cannon In The Running For Attorney General If Former President Wins Second Term

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has reportedly been placed on a list of potential attorney general candidates…

1 day ago

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris Suggests North Carolina Award Trump Its Electoral Votes – Before Election Day

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Maryland) declared that North Carolina's state legislature should give its electors to former President Donald…

2 days ago

Trump Says He ‘Didn’t Hear’ Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Who Called Puerto Rico ‘A Floating Pile Of Garbage’ At MSG Rally

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has been condemned for saying that Puerto Rico is a "floating pile of garbage"…

2 days ago