Political Consultant W. Samuel Patten Asks for No Prison Time After Ukraine Scheme
ENOUGH
A political consultant—who admitted to working for a Ukrainian political party alongside Paul Manafort associate Konstantin Kilimnik—reportedly asked a federal judge on Monday to spare him prison time. According to the Associated Press, W. Samuel Patten faces five years in prison for failing to register as a lobbyist and taking part in scheme involving foreign donations to President Trump’s inaugural committee. In court documents, Patten argued that he should get probation for being a “reliable and valuable” cooperator in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and other ongoing probes. Prosecutors reportedly agreed, writing in documents that Patten had given “substantial assistance” to the government.
Patten pleaded guilty last year after he created a scheme to circumvent the ban on foreign donations to inaugural committees. He reportedly did so on behalf of a Ukrainian politician, and was able to obtain four inauguration tickets for the politician. He also reportedly lied about the scheme to the Senate Intelligence Committee.