Rick Gates Admits He and Paul Manafort Committed Fraud, Embezzlement On Monday, Paul Manafort's longtime deputy, Rick Gates, testified against his former business partner. Manafort, President Trump's former campaign manager, faces several charges including bank and tax fraud, as well as conspiracy. According to Gates, Gates also testified that both he and Manafort under-reported income and failed to file Foreign Bank Account Reports. Gates admitted to embezzling "several hundred thousand dollars" from Manafort as his deputy. Manafort's defense is likely
to blame Gates for
Manafort's under-reporting. Thomas Zehnle, attorney for Paul Manafort, via Fox News While Gates' testimony is certainly explosive, U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, Ellis lit into the prosecution, scolding them to expedite their case and instructing a prosecutor to “Look at me! Don’t look down!” He also threatened reporters in the courtroom saying, “If you cause a disruption, I will have you excluded!” On Tuesday, Gates is expected to continue his testimony and the defense to begin their cross-examination.
