Article snippet: A federal judge on Thursday sentenced former Trump campaign chairman MORE to 47 months in prison, well below the amount recommended by the sentencing guidelines. The sentence imposed by Judge T.S. Ellis III, a Reagan appointee, was significantly less than the 19 1/2 to 24 years Manafort could have received under the advisory recommendations. In remarks from the bench, Ellis described Manafort’s crimes as “very serious” but said the guideline range was “not at all appropriate.” He pointed to significantly more-lenient sentences handed down in similar cases. Manafort, who turns 70 next month, appeared in court in a wheelchair and wore a dark green jumpsuit. His prison sentence will include time served, meaning nine months will be knocked off for the time he has already spent in jail during the trial. As a result, the sentence for these crimes uncovered during special counsel MORE’s Russia investigation amounted to a total of three years and two months in prison. Ellis also ordered Manafort to serve three years of supervised release, and pay a $50,000 fine and $24 million in restitution. “You’ve been convicted of serious crimes -- very serious crimes -- by a jury,” Ellis said to a packed courtroom after a lengthy sentencing hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Va., that lasted almost three hours. However, he added, “I think that sentencing range is excessive. I don’t think that is warranted in this case.” Manafort, who read from prepared remarks while seated in h... Link to the full article to read more