Manafort Trial Day 4: Bank Fraud And Bookkeepers

By Miles Parks
Heather Washkuhn, a bookkeeper for Paul Manafort, told the jury that she had no knowledge of the offshore companies and bank accounts that prosecutors say Manafort used to spend millions of dollars without being taxed over the last decade.
Heather Washkuhn, a bookkeeper for Paul Manafort, told the jury that she had no knowledge of the offshore companies and bank accounts that prosecutors say Manafort used to spend millions of dollars without being taxed over the last decade. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Heather Washkuhn, a bookkeeper for Paul Manafort, told the jury that she had no knowledge of the offshore companies and bank accounts that prosecutors say Manafort used to spend millions of dollars without being taxed over the last decade.
Heather Washkuhn, a bookkeeper for Paul Manafort, told the jury that she had no knowledge of the offshore companies and bank accounts that prosecutors say Manafort used to spend millions of dollars without being taxed over the last decade. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Manafort Trial Day 4: Bank Fraud And Bookkeepers

By Miles Parks
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Paul Manafort’s federal trial has now entered the alleged bank fraud section.

The former Trump campaign chairman’s trial is entering its fourth day Friday in Alexandria, Va., with the spotlight moving away from his lavish spending habits and onto how prosecutors say he concealed information from his financial record-keepers and lied about his income to acquire loans.

Manafort is charged with 18 counts of conspiracy, tax and bank fraud. His trial is the first to make its way to jurors after indictments from special counsel Robert Mueller.

Friday will begin with further testimony from Philip Ayliff, a longtime tax accountant for Manafort. Ayliff testified Thursday that although Manafort was provided an outlet to disclose foreign bank accounts, he did not do so.

“We asked the question and the response was no,” Ayliff said.

Prosecutors say Manafort used the offshore bank accounts, based mainly in Cyprus, to purchase millions of dollars of goods and services and avoided paying taxes on the money he received for political consulting work he did in Ukraine.

Ayliff and another bookkeeper who worked with Manafort, Heather Washkuhn, were the only two witnesses to testify Thursday afternoon. Washkuhn cut into one of the defense’s main arguments: that Manafort wasn’t involved with his own finances at a granular level and that his former business partner Rick Gates is responsible for the bank and tax fraud.

“I would say [Manafort] was very knowledgeable; he was very detail oriented,” Washkuhn said. “He approved every penny of every thing we paid.”

The trial resumes Friday morning. The jury has been granted permission by Judge T.S. Ellis III to bring a birthday cake to the courthouse, presumably to celebrate the birthday of one of the jurors.

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