The last person any reputable loan agency would want to give a million dollars to is a man whose been indicted for conspiracy against the U.S. government, but former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was somehow able to secure a loan of that size following his arrest in the Trump Russia investigation. That loan is now being investigated as part of the Mueller probe.
Mueller wants more information about the Manafort loan, too, according to a recent filing. @ajmartinny @dglovin @davidjoachim @StephaniBaker https://t.co/Pca1Mgd58h
— Jeff Grocott (@JeffGrocottNYC) February 8, 2019
Bloomberg News reports:
‘Mueller’s prosecutors on Thursday told a court they needed to know more about the August 2017 loan, from a Nevada company called Woodlawn LLC. Manafort, the onetime chairman of President Donald Trump’s campaign, guaranteed the loan, which was secured by the family’s interest in a Manhattan condominium, according to court papers.’
Manafort continually violates terms — penning propaganda, violating gag orders — and gets only a slap on the wrist.
Still alarming that he was nearly let out from house arrest with no GPS tracking in December. The lax conditions for Gates are similarly concerning. https://t.co/jwBXGzQ4Ns
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) February 28, 2018
One piece of Manafort’s conviction included the seizure of multiple properties that he owned, including the condominium he used to guarantee that loan. As a result, its seizure is now up for debate legally since he cannot pay back the loan. While this is unsurprising, the details became very sketchy after prosecutors asked the loan agency, Woodland, LLC., for more details on their claim to the property.
‘Now that prosecutors are seeking to seize the condo after Manafort’s conviction on tax- and bank-fraud charges, Woodlawn is staking a claim to it in order to collect on the debt.’
Manafort prosecutors have questions about US$1M condo loan https://t.co/I0XGrlxwRx pic.twitter.com/X06ot7AVLo
— BNN Bloomberg (@BNNBloomberg) February 8, 2019
The names of the owners of Woodlawn, LLC. are, as yet, unknown. Instead, a new person has been inserted as their representative manager and prosecutors are finding that idea rather dubious.
‘As Manafort’s legal problems escalated, Woodlawn installed a Hollywood bit player named Joey Rappa as its “managing member” in public filings. The investor or investors funding the loan wanted to remain anonymous given the potential for embarrassment, according to a lawyer for the lender.’
Boosting Manafort publicly while the trial is ongoing may not be jury tampering (a crime), but it violates the president’s oath to take care that the laws are faithfully implemented. https://t.co/iRZBnMTKsY
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 1, 2018
Now, the loan is becoming an investigation of its own as prosecutors are unclear on who exactly signed off on the loan. Should the original lenders turn out to be connected in any way to the Russian or Ukranian governments, a new piece of the puzzle may open up a whole new line of inquiry.
‘Meanwhile, prosecutors are wrapping up deals on claims by some other Manafort creditors, including the condo board of Trump Tower, where Manafort and his wife owned an apartment that prosecutors are also seeking to seize.’
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
