Special Counsel Mueller's investigation may not have turned up any evidence of collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia, but it did lead to the indictment by a federal grand Jury of Paul Manafort and business associate Rick Gates on October 27, 2017 on 12 counts of alleged financial crimes. The charges include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading Foreign Agent Registration (FARA) statements, false statements and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign banks and financial accounts. The indictments were announced Monday October 30 after leaks from the sealed indictment October 27, the filing date on the document. Real estate plays a major roll in how the charges against Manafort proceed. Evidence suggests that from 2006 to 2016, Manafort and Gates wired more than $21 million into the United States from offshore accounts, all income on which they paid no federal income tax as well as evaded taxes on millions of dollars they earned as lobbyists and consultants for Ukrainian officials. If Manafort and Gates are ultimately convicted, they would likely be forced to surrender the properties involved in the Palm Beach Gardens property mentioned in the alleged scheme; in addition to other homes Brooklyn, SoHo, Bridgehampton; Arlington, Virginia, and California, amongst others.
10 St. James Drive, Palm Beach Gardens
Specifically to South Florida real estate, the indictment alleges that Manafort used his 5,200 SF Palm Beach Gardens home, located at 10 St. James Drive, as the mailing address for a number of companies included in Monday’s indictment. The companies include Daisy Manafort LLC, John Hannah LLC, Lilred LLC and MC Soho Holdings LLC. Manafort also spent more than $1 million on home improvements to his Florida property. A Florida-based home automation, lighting and home entertainment company received $1.3 million between 2011 and 2013 via wire transfers which ranged from $6,200 to $290,000. An unnamed Florida contractor also received about $432,000 in wire transfers during the same period, the newspaper reported. The trial is set to begin May 7, 2018.