WASHINGTON — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was freed from house arrest Friday, but he will be required to abide by a nightly curfew at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The conditions of Manafort's release, while awaiting trial on money laundering and conspiracy charges lodged against him in October, were contained in a four-page order issued by U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson, adding that Manafort would be required to forfeit $10 million in real estate and cash if he failed to appear for future court hearings.
Under terms of the order, Manafort will be allowed to move from his Alexandria, Va., home — where he has been under house arrest since late October — to his Florida residence.
Once there, the former campaign chief must abide by a curfew, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., be subject to GPS monitoring and report once a week to federal authorities in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Manafort's release had been disputed by Russia special counsel Robert Mueller, whose team objected to a tentative agreement earlier this month after discovering that Manafort was "ghost-writing" an editorial that cast a favorable light on his work — with a colleague allegedly tied to Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Manafort and his associate were engaged in the project regarding Manafort's "political work for Ukraine," which is at the heart of the criminal case filed against him and campaign aide Rick Gates. Manafort was one of the first people prosecuted as part of Mueller's federal investigation of Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
In new court filings Friday, Gates also has asked that he be freed from home confinement in Richmond and has pledged nearly $6 million in assets to ensure his appearance at future hearings.
As part of the bail proposal, Gates requested that he be allowed to travel domestically — between his home and New York — as part of his consulting business.
The judge has not yet ruled on the request.
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