Special counsel asks judge to revoke Paul Manafort’s house arrest over witness tampering

What You Need to Know: Paul Manafort

Special counsel Robert Mueller is accusing former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort of tampering with witnesses while on house arrest in connection with the Russia probe.

>> Read more trending news

According to a filing with Washington D.C. District Court Monday night, Mueller is asking a judge to revoke Manafort’s house arrest status and send him to jail.

The filing states that the special counsel’s team has “probable cause to believe that Manfort  has violated 18 U.S.C. §1512(b)(1) by attempting to tamper with potential witnesses while on pretrial release and, accordingly, has violated the conditions of his release.”

Mueller also requested that the court “revoke or revise” the conditions of Manfort’s release while awaiting trial, which could mean the former Trump campaign manager could go to jail.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arrives for a hearing at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on May 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Manafort was indicted last year by a federal grand jury and has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him including, conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, and being an unregistered agent of a foreign principal. 

Credit: Mark Wilson

icon to expand image

Credit: Mark Wilson

Manafort and former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates were indicted in October on a dozen charges in connection with consulting work they did in Ukraine. A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Manafort in February on new charges of tax evasion and bank fraud.

Manafort, who has maintained his innocence in both cases, is out of jail on house arrest on an unsecured $10 million bond, according to news reports. He's scheduled for trial in Virginia in July on tax evasion and bank fraud charges, and in Washington in September for not disclosing the consulting work he did in Ukraine.