ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The star witness in the financial fraud trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman is set to return to the witness stand after telling jurors he himself embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from his old boss.
Rick Gates is expected on Tuesday to continue describing the ins-and-outs of defendant Paul Manafort’s finances, including what prosecutors say was an elaborate offshore tax-evasion and fraud scheme.
Gates is almost guaranteed to face withering cross-examination by Manafort’s defense attorneys, who are seeking to blame any crimes on Manafort’s onetime associate.
On Monday, Gates calmly acknowledged having embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort by filing false expense reports. He said the two committed crimes together by stashing money in foreign bank accounts and falsifying bank loan documents