with a history of lobbying.

“Some people might term it influence-peddling.”

Including for some foreign dictators

and human rights violators.

He’s also Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.

Now, he has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

So what happened?

Manafort worked on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign

for five months in 2016.

By August he was out amid scandal.

“Some breaking news here”

“Campaign chairman Paul Manafort”

“has resigned”

“over the last several weeks

there had been story after story”

“that links Donald Trump’s campaign manager

to one of Vladimir Putin’s buddies.”

Reports had surfaced of Manafort’s business dealings

with Russian-aligned leaders in Ukraine

and secret lobbying efforts in the United States.

Fast forward to 2017.

“So help me God.”

Special counsel Robert Mueller

was appointed to oversee the investigation

into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia

and any other wrongdoing he caught along the way.

Mueller’s team alleged

that Manafort engaged in a tax and bank fraud scheme

that allowed him to hide millions of dollars

from consulting work he did in Ukraine.

So what are the charges?

Manafort was convicted on eight counts

of financial fraud in one case in Northern Virginia.

In a separate case, Mueller charged Manafort

with two counts of conspiracy.

He agreed to cooperate and pleaded guilty.

But it was later ruled that he had deceived prosecutors

about a few things, including his interactions

with a Russian associate, a breach of his plea deal.

So what’s next?

Manafort has now been sentenced in both cases.

He has also agreed to give up cash and property,

including five homes in New York.

Of the half dozen former Trump associates prosecuted by Mueller,

Manafort received the harshest punishment yet.