- The Washington Times - Friday, April 12, 2019

W. Sam Patten, a GOP consultant with ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was sentenced to three years probation Friday for illegally lobbying in the United States on behalf of a Ukrainian political party.

Patten was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 500 hours of community service. He was facing a maximum of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for one count of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson cited Patten’s “substantial cooperation” to special counsel Robert Mueller and other ongoing investigations for sparing him from prison.

“I do believe the financial and other collateral consequences of your conviction are a form of punishment, but more importantly, you’ve done everything in your power to make amends,” she told Patten “You haven’t just talked about it, you put your words into actions.”

In August, Patten pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign agent for Ukraine’s Opposition Bloc on charges spun out of Mr. Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Patten and associate Constantin Kilimnik received more than $1 million to lobby on behalf of the Ukrainian Opposition bloc party. Their activities included meeting with government officials and placing favorable news articles in U.S. medial outlets in 2017, according to court documents. Mr. Kilimnik, a Russian who also has ties to Manafort, was named in Patten’s court documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington DC handled the case on a referral from Mr. Mueller’s office.

Federal prosecutors did not recommend a sentence and no guidelines apply directly to FARA violations. But they told Judge Jackson Patten deserved leniency for his cooperation.

“He started cooperating with the government right away,” said prosecutor Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez. “There was substantial cooperation. Mr. Patten was sincere, he cooperated, he was honest, and he was straight forward. He did what the government required him to do under his cooperation.”

Details about Patten’s cooperation with the government have been sparse, however. Status reports outlining his assistance have been filed under seal, shielding it from public review.

Neither prosecutors nor defense counsel offered any further insight Friday.

Patten’s attorney Stuart A. Sears said his client not only assisted the government, but used the situation as an opportunity to turn his life around.

“He has accepted responsibility, more so than many people,” he said. “Not only has he admitted his conduct, he has rebalanced his entire life. He’s made some serious changes in how he was living.”

Patten addressed the court in a brief statement, telling Judge Jackson he behaved “as though the law didn’t apply.”

As part of his plea deal, Patten admitted to purchasing tickets to President Trump’s inauguration on behalf of Ukrainian oligarch, paying $50,000 for four tickets. Patten used another American as a “straw purchaser” concealing the oligarch’s identity by funneling the money through an offshore bank account prosecutors said in August.

Inauguration committees are barred from accepting foreign contributions. Although there is no public evidence any member of the Trump inaugural committee were aware of the purchase.

Patten has close ties with Manafort, who lobbied for some of the same Ukrainian political leaders. Manafort was sentenced earlier this year to a total of 7 1/2 years in prison for skirting foreign lobbying laws and financial fraud.

Patten was prepared to testify against Manafort during the onetime Trump campaign chairman’s Washington, D.C. trial for illegally lobbying, prosecutors said in a court filing. But Manafort admitted his guilt and avoided a trial.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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