A federal judged sentenced veteran political operative Paul Manafort to four years in prison on March 7, defying a request by special counsel Robert Mueller for a much harsher sentence of 19 to 24 years.
District Judge T.S. Ellis called Mueller’s recommended sentence “excessive” and imposed the surprisingly lenient 47-month sentence on Manafort, 69, during a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. The sentence was even less than the one recommended by Manafort’s lawyers and surprised legal experts.
