Manafort sentencing for jury convictions in Virginia canceled until further notice
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 1/28/2019, 5:18 p.m.
Paul Manafort sketch 1/25/19
By Katelyn Polantz, CNN
(CNN) -- A federal judge in Virginia has canceled Paul Manafort's sentencing set for February 8 until further notice because of the conflict over his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller.
Judge TS Ellis said Manafort's sentencing should be delayed because the judge in Washington -- who is handling a second criminal case where Manafort pleaded guilty -- hasn't yet resolved prosecutors' allegation that he breached his plea deal.
"Because it appears that resolution of the current dispute in defendant's prosecution in the District of Columbia may have some effect on the sentencing decision in this case, it is prudent and appropriate to delay sentencing in this case until the dispute in the DC case is resolved," Ellis wrote Monday.
A hearing is set for Monday regarding Manafort's breach of plea in DC, and it's not clear when that judge, Amy Berman Jackson, will rule on the issue. Manafort's attorneys have said he misremembered details when he spoke to investigators and did not intend to lie.
Manafort was set for his first round of sentencing in Virginia following his conviction by a jury on eight financial and banking fraud charges. He'll be sentenced separately by Jackson. He is currently in jail for violating his bail terms.
