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| The Alexandria, Va., fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was delayed Friday from July 10 to July 24. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo |
By Ed Adamczyk, UPI
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort won't stand trial in Virginia on fraud charges for an extra two weeks, a judge ruled Friday.
The charges against Manafort were filed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who's leading the Justice Department's Russia investigation.
U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III issued the trial delay from July 10 to July 24 at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va.
The judge said the delay was to accommodate an unspecified medical procedure for a member of his family. Last week, Ellis ordered a delay in a hearing pertaining to certain motions in the case.
The trial is expected to last about a month.
Manafort is also facing another criminal trial on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent of Ukraine. That case, pending in Washington and scheduled to begin Sept. 17, could also be delayed because of Friday's date change in Virginia.
The case in Virginia concerns charges Manafort and business associate Rick Gates ran a tax-avoidance scheme and laundered money in offshore accounts. Gates pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the United States. The Washington indictment refers to money laundering and failure to file reports of foreign bank accounts, among other charges.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
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