Reports: Manafort not headed to Rikers Island after DOJ intervened
WASHINGTON -- Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, will not be transferred to New York's infamous Rikers Island jail after the Department of Justice cited health concerns.
Manafort is serving seven and a half years in federal prison on charges related to his foreign lobbying efforts as part of former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He was being held in a federal prison in Pennsylvania but has been transferred to a federal facility in Manhattan, Reuters reported.
However, Manafort was supposed to be transferred to Rikers Island in New York later this month as he awaits trial in state court for multiple charges under New York law for residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business, according to the New York Times.
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Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen last week sent a letter to Manhattan prosecutors saying that the Department of Justice was monitoring where Manafort would be held in New York, the Times reported.
And, Manafort will no longer be transferred to Rikers Island, according to the Times. A senior DOJ official in a statement to ABC News said that the department got involved after Manafort's attorneys raised concerns "related to his health and personal safety."
During Manafort's federal trial, his lawyers said he had gout.
President Donald Trump has in the past said that he thought Manafort's sentence was "very unfair" and has complained about how his former campaign manager has been treated.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reports: Manafort not headed to Rikers Island after DOJ intervened
