The Real Crime in the Paul Manfort Case

[Raptor Witness]

 

As the facts are revealed in the federal government's tax fraud and money laundering case against Paul Manafort, I'm left wondering .... why .... if he was wiring all this money to all these retailers, no one responsible for monitoring the flow of money, especially over $10,000 through our banking system, failed ask the simple question. Who pays hundreds of thousands of dollars for clothing via wire transfer?

What this tells me is that the federal government isn't watching the store, literally.

Also, the judge in this case, won't be able to stem the anger that many Americans will justifiably feel, when they realize that certain rich people in the United States are getting away with this much illegal activity, so openly, and apparently without any fear of being caught. So what's to keep average Americans from doing the same thing?  Apparently, very little ....

So given the lack of oversight what are the odds that Donald Trump was likely doing something very similar, only with a different flavor?  I think we may already have our answer.

Donald Trump and his cronies are going to need Vladimir Putin at the end of this. In fact, I won't be surprised if Trump ends up in Russia, just like Edward Snowden. They can be roomies...

The real crime is that it was so easy.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2018 by Raptor Witness

[lost_shaman]

17 minutes ago, Raptor Witness said:

What this tells me is that the federal government isn't watching the store, literally.

You mean like how HRC illegally funneled campaign contributions into her campaign through the DNC? 

[rashore]

Not commenting about the case... just about the cost of clothes and wiring money. While average to good suits can cost 500-1,000 dollars, high end suits can run between 5,000-10,000 dollars. Someone who can afford to buy high end can easily spend 10,000 on an entire suit purchase and pay for it with wire transfer or other payment options depending on the retailer. Ordering a couple suits and the rest of the clothing from shirts and ties to cufflinks and socks can make for a rather large bill. Mens clothes can be just as expensive as womens sometimes.

More affordable retailers for us regular folk also sometimes accept wire transfers as just another form of payment as well. Particularly in more modern years with the ability to do internet shopping on a global scale. Rich people do mail ordering just like non-rich people do.

Again, not commenting on the case- I don't know anything about this guys general lifestyle or bank account. But I do know mens clothes can be expensive and ordered to ship with payment using wire transfer.

[Kittens Are Jerks]

For anyone who's interested:

See Paul Manafort's Whole Collection Of Expensive Ugly Suits
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/paul-manafort-wardrobe-clothes-court

[preacherman76]

4 hours ago, Raptor Witness said:

 

As the facts are revealed in the federal government's tax fraud and money laundering case against Paul Manafort, I'm left wondering .... why .... if he was wiring all this money to all these retailers, no one responsible for monitoring the flow of money, especially over $10,000 through our banking system, failed ask the simple question. Who pays hundreds of thousands of dollars for clothing via wire transfer?

What this tells me is that the federal government isn't watching the store, literally.

Also, the judge in this case, won't be able to stem the anger that many Americans will justifiably feel, when they realize that certain rich people in the United States are getting away with this much illegal activity, so openly, and apparently without any fear of being caught. So what's to keep average Americans from doing the same thing?  Apparently, very little ....

So given the lack of oversight what are the odds that Donald Trump was likely doing something very similar, only with a different flavor?  I think we may already have our answer.

Donald Trump and his cronies are going to need Vladimir Putin at the end of this. In fact, I won't be surprised if Trump ends up in Russia, just like Edward Snowden. They can be roomies...

The real crime is that it was so easy.

 

 

None. They would have found it by now.

 

Edited August 2, 2018 by preacherman76

[Kittens Are Jerks]

7 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

None. They would have found it by now.

What makes you think they haven't?

[Imaginarynumber1]

33 minutes ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

What makes you think they haven't?

Because if they had found something they would have immediate released it to silence they average naysayer on the internet. Investigation be damned.

Obviously. 

[preacherman76]

1 hour ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

What makes you think they haven't?

Reality. We are talking about people who leaked the now infamous dossier to the media to pretend it came from more then one source.

[Kittens Are Jerks]

34 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

Reality. We are talking about people who leaked the now infamous dossier to the media to pretend it came from more then one source.

That may be your reality, but it's not reality reality.

[rashore]

8 hours ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

For anyone who's interested:

See Paul Manafort's Whole Collection Of Expensive Ugly Suits
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/paul-manafort-wardrobe-clothes-court

Not sure if that’s awesome, or awesomely bad, lol. It is a rather nice compilation of his style. Had to go look up some pics of him after the article. 

I find his personal style kind of blech... but his professional style is good on him. His suits fit well, his tailors know his sizing and which side he gets dressed on, palette that suits him. His ties are boring, but pleasant. I can understand why he trusts the retailers to get his suits right and at the high end prices that they charge. He’s a bit of a clothes-horse.

Given his personal vs professional wardrobe choices.. I have to wonder if he picks his personal stuff, but has in house dressers to pre-pick his professional wardrobe.

And just some fun info. He’s 5’9”, 170 lbs. 40” chest, 34” waist, 15” bicep. 

[Raptor Witness]

The issue of why Paul Manafort was able to slide under the radar for so long was perhaps explained by his bookeeper today, who testified under oath that Manafort never revealed to her that he had these multiple offshore accounts.

This still raises the important question, why was no one at the IRS paying any attention to large number of +10k transactions to retailers, which banks are required to report? This would seem to me to be an easy find, with a large paper trail. They catch drug dealers all the time who are living beyond their means. Why not well heeled political consultants who fail to report tens of millions to their bookkeeper?

Manafort was operating in the open, and he likely would never have been caught if not for the unfortunate election of Donald J. Trump.

America is already "great" for the greatest liars and thieves. That's what we're learning ....

Russia may have lost the Cold War, but they have easily won the Hot Peace.

 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Raptor Witness

[Kittens Are Jerks]

6 hours ago, rashore said:

Not sure if that’s awesome, or awesomely bad, lol. It is a rather nice compilation of his style. Had to go look up some pics of him after the article. 

I find his personal style kind of blech... but his professional style is good on him. His suits fit well, his tailors know his sizing and which side he gets dressed on, palette that suits him. His ties are boring, but pleasant. I can understand why he trusts the retailers to get his suits right and at the high end prices that they charge. He’s a bit of a clothes-horse.

Given his personal vs professional wardrobe choices.. I have to wonder if he picks his personal stuff, but has in house dressers to pre-pick his professional wardrobe.

And just some fun info. He’s 5’9”, 170 lbs. 40” chest, 34” waist, 15” bicep. 

Some of the online comments about his clothing, such as Goodfellas called, they want their wardrobe department back, totally cracked me up. But I agree, his professional look was significantly better than his casual 'man desperately trying to appear like a cool dad, but failing' look.

[Alaric]

17 hours ago, preacherman76 said:

Reality. We are talking about people who leaked the now infamous dossier to the media to pretend it came from more then one source.

The “Pee Dossier” was leaked... ba da bing... and that’s an undeniable fact, the end results speak for themselves, both McCain and Buzzfeed got copies.

You can argue about the intentions of the leaks, whether these people genuinely believed Trump was under Russian influence or they were attempting to sabotage his administration... but taken in context with the apparent coordination between various parties, it beggars belief to claim that there was no attempt to launder the information and make it appear as if the single source document (created as an opposition hit piece by the competing political party) in fact had multiple sources.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Alaric

[Alaric]

17 hours ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

That may be your reality, but it's not reality reality.

I’m guessing you subscribe to Reality Winner’s reality.

[Kittens Are Jerks]

8 minutes ago, Alaric said:

I’m guessing you subscribe to Reality Winner’s reality.

No not particularly, although I admit she almost had me in her camp when she called Trump a soulless orange orangutan.

[preacherman76]

22 hours ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

That may be your reality, but it's not reality reality.

How is it not reality? It is an outright proven fact. You mean to tell me you are speaking so passionately about a subject you know nothing about? Wow

[Raptor Witness]

10 hours ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

Some of the online comments about his clothing, such as Goodfellas called, they want their wardrobe department back, totally cracked me up. But I agree, his professional look was significantly better than his casual 'man desperately trying to appear like a cool dad, but failing' look.

Manafort’s wife was the only snappy dresser in that family. I hope she has some crypto stashed away, as the way she leads her hubby out of the courthouse makes me wonder if an innocent spouse plea would work.

 

[Kittens Are Jerks]

23 minutes ago, preacherman76 said:

How is it not reality? It is an outright proven fact. You mean to tell me you are speaking so passionately about a subject you know nothing about? Wow

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking the same about you.

The comment you responded to was about whether or not Trump may have been involved in financial or other crimes of the same ilk as Manafort, and you for some reason bring up the people who leaked the dossier. How those two are connected and how that indicates that Mueller or others have not found anything on Trump is beyond me.

[rashore]

17 hours ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

Some of the online comments about his clothing, such as Goodfellas called, they want their wardrobe department back, totally cracked me up. But I agree, his professional look was significantly better than his casual 'man desperately trying to appear like a cool dad, but failing' look.

I can very much see the Goodfellas thing. Never watched the movies, but very much have oogled the wardrobe. This guy very much carries the professional wardrobe that way. He has the build and style tastes for it.

Though with the whole clothes thing... I’m wondering what his shoes and accoutrements bills look like. And in lines with the OP, how much of the wire transfer he may have had with his other shopping habits.

It could be he had secret or offshore or whatever it is accounts because he was a bit of a secret shopper... hiding a bit of the extent of his habit from his accountant and wife... that would be funny.

[Raptor Witness]

Manafort Accountant On Tax Scheme: 'I Regret It' - NPR  8-4-2018

Laporta said the move likely saved Manafort $400,000 to $500,000 in taxes. She said she prepared Manafort's tax return that year despite concerns that the information he and Gates provided was wrong. She said she didn't believe the loan existed, but that she went along with it anyway because Manafort was a longtime client.

"I regret it," she told the jury. "We can't pick and choose what's a loan and what's income."

_____________________________________________________________________

Apparently, it looks like as long as you've got a crooked accountant on your side, you're able to hide tens of millions in income.

Now I'm wondering if U.S. banks failed to report Manafort's spending sent via wire transactions, as another courtesy to a "longtime client?"

Also, Manafort's wife reportedly left the courtroom early today, visibly upset, after hearing the bookkeeper throw her husband under the bus. Poor woman, another house bites the dust ...

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by Raptor Witness

[Tatetopa]

On 8/2/2018 at 9:46 AM, lost_shaman said:

You mean like how HRC illegally funneled campaign contributions into her campaign through the DNC? 

Or how DJT used his charities for personal percs?    Hillary and Not-Hillary are both crooked.

[lost_shaman]

3 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

Or how DJT used his charities for personal percs? 

Actually it is not illegal to pay yourself if you run your own Charity or non-profit. On the otherhand there are very strict campaign finance laws with very strict penalties for violating them. Ask Denesh D'souza who went to prison for donating to much to a candidate.

Edited August 4, 2018 by lost_shaman

[Noxasa]

If you get your information from MSNBC then you have no hope of understanding the truth of current events. 

To answer your question about who wires money for the purchase of "stuff"?  The rich do!!!!  All the time!!!  It's not a crime.

[lost_shaman]

4 minutes ago, Noxasa said:

To answer your question about who wires money for the purchase of "stuff"?  The rich do!!!!  All the time!!!  It's not a crime.

Even if you did manage to avoid taxes using a money wire, the typical sentence for such "tax fraud" is 1.3 years, here the government is seeking a 305 year sentence for Manafort! 

[RAyMO]

1 minute ago, lost_shaman said:

Even if you did manage to avoid taxes using a money wire, the typical sentence for such "tax fraud" is 1.3 years, here the government is seeking a 305 year sentence for Manafort! 

doesn't matter what the government is seeking the court will decide the appropriate sentence - should there be one.