Prosecution says Manafort opened more than 30 bank accounts overseas

Prosecutors argued Tuesday that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort opened more than 30 overseas bank accounts to hide his earnings from lobbying work in Ukraine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye argued in his opening statement in Manafort’s trial in Virginia that the former Trump associate opened more than 30 unreported bank accounts in three foreign countries. The accounts were allegedly used to hold the more than $60 million Manafort earned doing pro-Russian lobbying in Ukraine.

Asonye said that the government will be able to prove that Manafort did not report the entirety of his income as part of an effort to build an extravagant lifestyle. 

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“There’s nothing wrong with being successful or rich, but when you sign a federal tax return you swear you have reported all your income,” Asonye said.

Tuesday marked the opening day of Manafort’s trial in Alexandria, Va., where he is facing charges of money laundering, tax evasion, making false statements to government officials and more.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty. His defense team argued in their opening statements that he was a victim of his former associate, Richard Gates, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of a plea deal.

The trial is expected to last about three weeks.

Lydia Wheeler contributed reporting.