Another day, another debate waged in court filings over whether the bail assets being proposed by Rick Gates are worth what Gates says they are.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in a court filing Wednesday, questioned the value of assets Gates offered in a bail proposal last week. In particular, Mueller expressed skepticism over how Gates assessed the value of a commercial property included in the package.
The details of Gates’ bail proposal were mostly obscured by redactions, but his lawyers claim that the package is worth $5.8 million — well over the $5 million in secured bail the judge in the case said she would need to see before approving Gates’ release from house arrest.
“At issue instead is whether the pledged property and assets meet the required bond amount,” Mueller’s team said in its response to the proposal Wednesday. “The government contends that they do not. ”
Mueller zeroed in on an commercial property that Gates offered in his package, claiming the value to be “overstated.”
Mueller noted that there are multiple ways to evaluate the value of such a property, while wondering if the way Gates assessed its value —by also including what the property owner earns by renting it — was “appropriate” in the circumstances of his case.
“But even if the approach warrants consideration, the defendant’s calculations under it appear to be flawed,” Mueller said, going on to argue that Gates is not subtracting the operating expenses connected with the property from its total operating revenue.
Gates has been under house arrest since Oct. 30, when he turned himself in facing charges as part of Mueller’s Russia probe. He and his longtime business partner Paul Manafort have been charged with tax evasion, money laundering and failure to disclose foreign lobbying. Both have pleaded not guilty
In his filing Wednesday, Mueller added that if the judge, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, does grant Gates release from home confinement, that she do so with the same conditions offered to Manafort when the judge approved his bail package. Among other things, Manafort was ordered to obey an 11 p.m. curfew, and to get permission for any domestic travel not related to court appearances in D.C.
Read the full filing below:
It appeared to be potentially skeezy when the proposal to the judge did not indicate that it had been reviewed by Mueller (which I believe Manafort’s had - prior to submitting it to the court.) Not surprised by this move by Mueller, nor his rationale, one bit.
Sure fire business opportunity: Buy Gates for what he’s worth, sell him for what he ‘thinks’ he’s worth, and you’ve locked in a guaranteed profit. A Bigly profit!!
Two points:
First, Gates’ net worth depends on how he feels when he wakes up in the morning, just like Dump’s.
Second, why should he include the operating costs of his properties? This crowd is all about socializing risk and privatizing profit.
A bunch of heavily armed half-wits seize possession of Federal property and openly defy commands to vacate. While occupying said property they do extensive damage and threaten duly sworn law enforcement officers with harm. The government prosecutes and manages to eff up everything and fails to convict.
What do Gates and Manafort have to fear from the U.S. government? The Russians they owe money are a bigger worry than the DOJ and FBI.
oops! where did he come up with that ‘i’ve got great cash flow’ idea? those pesky expenses keep on cropping up.