Paul Manafort’s Ex-Son-In-Law Faces Sentencing on Fraud Charges in L.A.

Paul Manafort’s Ex-Son-In-Law Faces Sentencing on Fraud Charges in L.A.

by Contributing Editor

The former son-in-law of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces sentencing Friday in Los Angeles on federal charges stemming from two separate fraud cases.

Jeffrey Yohai pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy to commit bank wire fraud. While awaiting sentencing, he was accused of engaging in similar frauds, prompting his re-arrest and a second guilty plea in June on another wire fraud conspiracy charge.

Prosecutors contend Yohai conned numerous people and lenders out of more than $13 million through bogus deals to develop real estate in wealthy Los Angeles neighborhoods, as well as renting homes he did not own and selling non-existent artist passes to the Coachella Music Festival.

Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence, split between the two cases.

“In both the old and the new offenses, Yohai usually obtains someone else’s money for a purportedly legitimate purpose, such as an investment, but uses the money for personal expenses, or to pay pre-existing debts, and then lulls the victim into believing that the money has been properly used,” according to prosecution papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.

The 37-year-old West Hollywood resident “seems to enjoy committing fraud and revels in cheating others out of their hard-earned money, as though he thought real work was only for patsies,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown wrote.

Yohai divorced Jessica Manafort in August 2017. His former father-in-law was found guilty that month on eight counts of financial crimes and is currently serving a sentence of seven and a half years in federal prison.

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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com