How would she not know that he had foreign businesses? And with all those purchased coming from wired money from foreign sources - (granted perhaps it is “normal” that she wouldn’t know of these purchases) - how could a legitimate operation have a book keeper unaware of foreign accounts.
Hear that echo, Paul? Its the sound of the reverberation after another shoe just dropped.
I’ve worked for people that had, um, side businesses that maybe were best left unremarked upon by people working at the company. Nevertheless the secrecy and wall of separation you’d need to erect to keep the “head bookkeeper” totally in the dark about even a fragmented knowledge of what was going on would be a helluva trick to pull off. Info seeps onto everyone’s desk to one degree or another, and you just know when to avert your eyes and keep your mouth shut. I’m very dubious she was totally unaware of Manafort’s various schemes.
Bear in mind that a number of prosecution witnesses are testifying only because they received immunity.
I’m to understand he never “mixed” the $$$ from overseas with the $$$ he earned in the USA; thus providing no income information to his bookkeeper. All the invoices for his high living were paid directly by wire transfer from accounts in Cyprus.
Mueller’s immunity doesn’t extend to polonium poisoning protection.
I’d say it is impossible, unless she is an utter fool.
Let’s not forget that you have to declare all foreign bank accounts on your taxes every year.
I don’t believe she is one of the five listed as getting immunity for her testimony, though.
Unless you’re caucasian, count among your friends some people in very high places, have millions to spend on defense at trial, and factor in you can ultimately remain free during 6 levels of appeals (or until damned near your death) should you get caught. Failing all those factors you can bank on the deal Bob McDonnell got from SCOTUS and have all your convictions conveniently thrown out for alleged “trial errors”.
So, he was paying himself for work he did. From foreign bank accounts. That’s text-book money-laundering, right there.
Will the defense try to smear this bookkeeper?
.
She was Christopher Steele’s secret lover.
Pssst, pass it along…
Which would further erode, eh exterminate the poor little Pauly was a victim of the people managing his money. It takes a conscious effort to keep things from bleeding over.
You’re right; she’s not. Thanks for clarifying that.
I was responding to the general notion that “you just know when to avert your eyes and keep your mouth shut.”
That’s a skill I haven’t quite mastered yet.
Why would Manafort tell her that if he was hiding it?
I seriously doubt the payments Manaforte was getting were going to his businesses here.
Because his business book keeper here in the US only handles that specific biz. I can’t see Manafort telling her “hey, I just got handed interest in a business in Ukraine and will have lots of money coming into my personal account and also some cash, but do me a favor and don’t tell anyone”. Also even if money came into his biz from a foreign account for stuff that was claimed, how would she know the original source of the money, and if Manafort was running the same biz that was making the payments?
It’s quite reasonable to think this thug kept a boatload of info from a lady who just does his books here. If you have someone do your taxes, do you give them all your bank account transaction info?
It seems the implication is that this testimony is evidence he was knowingly hiding this money from those that would report it. Knowledge of guilt.
There is a list of those five. She was not one of them. Anyway, if she had immunity, she COULD tell them she knew about the foreign accounts, and not get into trouble for it.
If she had FULL immunity, that is.
James Brennan
Donna Duggan
Conor O’Brien
Cindy Laporta
Dennis Raico
Laporta works for an accounting firm based in Virginia called Kositzka, Wicks and Company, and O’Brien is a former employee. In a statement to VICE News, the company confirmed that it handled Manafort’s taxes.
She didn’t prepare his taxes. She would just give the preparers a copy of her Quickbooks, or whatever printouts they needed.
…an accounting firm based in Virginia called Kositzka, Wicks and Company…confirmed that it handled Manafort’s taxes.
It’s possible that she knew there was something hinky, but it was a decent job, and as long as manafort didn’t force her to do something hinky, she was mostly ok with it. Accountants are a little like lawyers that way.
When my mother was a CPA, she had a client who was on the shady side; she did his books without complaint, but she fired him as soon as he asked her to put her name on a tax return that listed his mistress as an office expense.