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GOP Consultant Who Cooperated With Mueller Investigation Gets Probation After Directing Foreign Money to Trump Inaugural

As part of a plea agreement, Sam Patten admitted to steering foreign funds to Trump’s inaugural committee.

Political consultant Sam Patten, who cooperated with the Mueller investigation, was sentenced to three years probation for running an illegal foreign lobbying campaign and steering Ukrainian money to President Trump’s inaugural committee, a federal judge ruled Friday. Patten, 47, pleaded guilty in August after being charged with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, related to his work for a Ukrainian political party. He also admitted to funneling $50,000 from a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician to Trump’s inaugural committee. The charges were not brought by Robert Mueller directly, but were referred by the special counsel to the U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia. Since pleading guilty, Patten has cooperated with Mueller’s investigation. Prosecutors asked for leniency in Patten’s sentence, citing his “immediate” and “substantial” cooperation with authorities.

As part of his plea deal, Patten admitted to seeking tickets to Trump’s inauguration on behalf of a Ukrainian oligarch, who ultimately paid $50,000 for four tickets. In addition to the probation sentence, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered the consultant to serve 500 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine. “I fully recognize the seriousness of my conduct and crimes that I've committed,” Patten said in court Friday. “I behaved as though the law didn’t apply to me, and that was wrong.”

MUELLER FRIDAYS

GOP Lobbyist Sent Illegal Money to Trump Inaugural Committee

Lachlan Markay