Paul Manafort (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
This has been a busy day for the legal woes of Donald Trump’s former inner circle! Not only has Michael Cohen entered a guilty plea on multiple counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud, but the jury in the Paul Manafort case has come in with a partial verdict.
Paul Manafort has been found guilty on 8 of the 18 charges against him — a variety of tax and foreign bank account charges — and the judge in the case, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, has declared a mistrial on the remaining 10 charges. Manafort was found guilty on five charges of tax fraud, two charges of bank fraud, and one charge of hiding a foreign bank account. He faces up to 80 years in jail — three years for each of the tax fraud charges, up to 30 years on each of the bank fraud charges, and up to 5 years for hiding a foreign bank account.
AI Built for Litigation. Verified by Design.
Grounded in authoritative content and verified at every step, Protégé is the only legal AI tool that delivers work you can trust—without exception.
Earlier today, the Manfort jury asked Judge Ellis what would happen if they didn’t come to an agreement on all charges. At the time the judge encouraged them to go back to deliberations:
“It is your duty to agree upon a verdict if you can do so,” Ellis said. He encouraged each juror to make their own decisions on each count, but if some were in the minority on a decision, they could think about what the other jurors believe. Give “deference” to each other and “listen to each others’ arguments.”
“You’re the exclusive judges,” he added. “Take all the time which you feel is necessary.”
Apparently, there was no agreement to be had, and the judge declared a partial mistrial.
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).