Manafort, associate to remain under house arrest, tracked by GPS

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Richard Gates will remain under house arrest until they can provide adequate financial assurance to convince a federal judge they will not skip out on future court appearances.

Manafort and Gates have been charged with money laundering and other crimes as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election.  

They were released into home confinement with GPS monitoring on $10 million and $5 million unsecured bail bonds, respectively, last week and are now petitioning the court for more flexible conditions. 

{mosads}

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Monday that she is prepared to modify the conditions of Manafort and Gates’s release — but indicated she does not yet have the information she needs to approve a new bail package.

In a hearing last week, she expressed concerns that both men presented a flight risk because of their substantial ties abroad. 

“We’re not talking about dangerousness here,” Jackson said Monday. “We’re talking about flight.”

Jackson’s original intention was to lift the home confinement but ordered that both men stay away from transportation facilities and continue to be tracked by a GPS monitor, she said, but said she will “keep an open mind.”

Government prosecutors said Monday that they are “close” to reaching an agreement with lawyers for both Manafort and Gates that would allow for the house arrest order to be lifted.

At issue is a solid determination of Manafort’s net worth, which would allow prosecutors to decide what amount of bail they believe would be necessary to secure his return to court. 

The government indicated on Monday that it believes Manafort to be worth $28 million.