Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates leaves Federal Court on December 11, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Charged Oct. 27, 2017
Pleaded not guilty Oct. 30, 2017
Gates was a lobbyist, a Trump campaign official and a longtime associate of Manafort’s.
His charges, announced on the same day as Manafort and Papadopoulos, included counts of conspiracy against the United States, money laundering, lying to investigators and failing to register as a foreign agent, among others.
Gates pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is a defendant as part of the same case as Manafort. In recent weeks, his lawyers have made a motion to withdraw as his counsel, prompting him to write statements to the court as his own defense in at least one instance.
Gates may be close to a guilty plea for charges relating to fraud, and may be willing to testify against Manafort, multiple outlets have reported.
