According to the FBI indictment, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort made a pretty penny handling public relations for Putin-allied forces in the Ukraine. Between Manafort and his associate Richard Gates, their work generated tens of million in extra income, which Manafort used, in part, to trick out his wardrobe.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government frowns on doing business with foreign entities, particularly those its not friendly with, and, according to the FBI’s timeline of events, Manafort and Grant had to do something with all that cash to avoid reporting it to the Feds.
For the most part, Manafort and Grant allegedly ran the money through offshore banks and accounts. Manafort reportedly funneled around $75 million into his personal coffers this way, using cash from his foreign accounts to purchase domestic real estate, then getting loans against those same properties.
He could then spend the cash, but the U.S. government, for at least a while, had no idea where the cash was coming from. He also never reported or paid taxes on any of that income, to add trouble on top of trouble.
Like Walter White in Breaking Bad, Manafort and Grant apparently suffered from a surplus of cash. Unable to report it or invest it, Manafort, at least, spent it on some pretty fancy things.
According to the FBI charging documents, Manafort had a great time spending some of the ill-gotten gains.
The former Trump official paid a “Home Automation, Lighting and Home Entertainment Company” $1,319,218 over the course of two years, apparently to add a top-notch home theater to one of his many multi-million dollar residences.
Obviously needing to make sure his rooms were pulled together, Manafort dropped another $934,350 at an Antique Rug Store in Alexandria, Virginia. He paid another vendor, related to the rug shop, $100,000, possibly for cleaning or alterations.
Manafort also, apparently, had a taste for designer duds. According to the indictment, he wired $849,215 to a men’s clothing store in New York City over the course of six years — enough for several high-end wardrobes — and $520,440 to a clothing store in Beverly Hills, California, over the course of four years. The revelations are shocking not just because it seems impossible to spend that much money, but because Manafort never looked all that pulled together on the campaign trail.