Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort has been jailed for 43 more months on charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Paul Manafort (file) will spend a combined six years and nine months in jail. Photo: AFP
It comes a week after the 69-year-old was given a 47-month prison sentence for fraud in a separate case.
The latest sentencing arises from two conspiracy charges Manafort pleaded guilty to last year.
He told a federal court in Washington DC he wanted to apologise for his actions.
"I am sorry for what I have done and for all the activities that have gotten us here today," he said, speaking from a wheelchair.
Taking into account time already spent behind bars and concurrent jail time Manafort will spend a combined six years and nine months in jail.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson gave him a stern lecture about his lies and criminal behavior saying there was no good explanation for the leniency he sought.
"Saying 'I'm sorry I got caught' is not an inspiring plea for leniency," Ms Jackson told Manafort, who was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair because of gout.
Ms Jackson sentenced Manafort, a veteran Republican political operative who earned millions of dollars working for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine, for two conspiracy charges to which he pleaded guilty in September 2018 in Washington.
Manafort, 69, had not shown any remorse at his sentencing in his other case last Thursday.
"I am sorry for what I have done and for all the activities that have gotten us here today," Manafort told Ms Jackson on Wednesday.
"This case has taken everything from me already - my properties, my cash, my life insurance, trust accounts for my children and grandchildren, and even more," Manafort added.
"The defendant's insistence that none of this should be happening to him ... is just one more thing that is inconsistent with the notion of any genuine acceptance of responsibility," the judge told Manafort.
Ms Jackson said at the outset of the sentencing hearing that she would not be influenced by last Thursday's sentence imposed by US District Judge T S Ellis in Alexandria, Virginia, where Manafort was convicted in August 2018 by a jury for bank fraud, tax fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
That 47-month sentence was 20 years below the upper limit of federal sentencing guidelines, prompting criticism among some legal experts that it was too light.
Jackson could have given Manafort up to 10 years in prison in the Washington case - five for each of the two conspiracy counts.
Ms Jackson ruled on 13 February that Manafort had breached his agreement in the Washington case to cooperate with Mueller's office by lying to prosecutors about three matters pertinent to the Russia probe including his interactions with a business partner they have said has ties to Russian intelligence.
Manafort wore a dark suit and tie to the hearing. At last week's sentencing, Manafort wore a green prison jumpsuit emblazoned with the words "Alexandria Inmate" on the back.
In the Washington case, Manafort was sentenced for conspiracy against the US, which included a range of conduct from money laundering to unregistered lobbying, and a second conspiracy count related to witness tampering.
During Wednesday's hearing, Ms Jackson ruled that Manafort should get a tougher sentence because he acted in a leadership role, directing others to participate in a crime. But Jackson said Manafort should get credit for accepting responsibility because he pleaded guilty to the conduct at issue, though he later breached his cooperation deal with prosecutors.
Mueller's team did not make a specific recommendation on Manafort's sentencing in the Washington case. But prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said during the hearing that Manafort had engaged in an extensive cover-up that deceived the US government and the American public, and continued to try to undermine the investigation even after he pleaded guilty.
"Paul Manafort's upbringing, his education, his means, his opportunities could have led him to be a leading example for this country. At each juncture, though, Mr Manafort chose to take a different path," Mr Weissmann said.
"He engaged in crime again and again. He has not learned a harsh lesson. He has served to undermine, not promote, American ideals," Mr Weissmann said. added.
Mr Trump has not ruled out a presidential pardon for Manafort, and after last week's sentencing said "I feel very badly" for his former aide. A pardon might not, however, end Manafort's legal troubles.
The Manhattan district attorney's office is pursuing criminal charges against Manafort, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last month. The charges, which originate from unpaid state taxes, could not be erased by a presidential pardon, which are only applicable to federal crimes.
- Reuters / BBC
