Rick Gates

[[File:Rick Gates at 2016 RNC.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Rick Gates at the 2016 Republican National Convention]]{{uspolitics}}'''Richard "Rick" W. Gates III''' {{lived|1972}} is an [[United States|American]] [[lobbyist]] and political consultant. Gates began his career as an intern for the lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly, which was co-owned by [[Paul Manafort]] and [[Roger Stone]].<ref name=confessore>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/politics/rick-gates-russia.html|title=How the Russia Investigation Entangled a Manafort Protégé|last=Confessore|first=Nicholas|date=June 16, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 30, 2017|last2=Meier|first2=Barry|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Gates began working as an employee of the firm in 2006.<ref name=confessore/> Gates' clients at the firm included [[Ukrainian]] president {{wpl|Viktor Yanukovych}} and [[Russian]] oligarch {{wpl|Oleg Deripaska||,}} allies of [[Vladimir Putin]] and [[mafia]]-backed kleptocrats. Gates left the firm in 2008 to work for [[John McCain]]'s presidential campaign.<ref name=confessore/> In 2016, Trump hired Manafort to work on his presidential campaign. Gates worked under Manafort, and stayed on after Manafort left the campaign.<ref name=choma>[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/10/who-is-rick-gates/ Who Is Rick Gates? Everything you need to know about the former Trump aide arrested alongside Paul Manafort on Monday] by Russ Choma (Oct. 30, 2017 10:37 AM) ''Mother Jones''.</ref> Gates also took the fall for Melania Trump's [[Plagiarism|plagiarized]] [[GOP]] convention speech.<ref name=choma/>

On October 27, 2017 Gates was indicted along with Manafort by a federal grand jury under the direction of [[FBI]] special counsel [[Robert Mueller]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/30/paul-manafort-rick-gates-indictment-full-text-robert-mueller The charges against Paul Manafort – full text of indictment: Donald Trump’s former campaign manager and his ex-business associate Rick Gates have been charges with a number of offences including money laundering] (30 October 2017 10.05 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> The charges against Gates are:<ref>[https://www.scribd.com/document/363005274/Manafort-gates-Indictment-Filed-and-Redacted United States of Amercia ''v.'' Paul J. Manafort, Jr. and Richard W. Gates III] (October 27, 2017) United States District Court for the District of Columbia.</ref><ref>[http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2017/images/10/31/manafort.gates.flight.risk.filing.pdf United States of Amercia ''v.'' Paul J. Manafort, Jr. and Richard W. Gates III] Crim. No. 17-201 (ABJ/DAR) (October 31, 2017) United States District Court for the District of Columbia.</ref>
*Conspiracy Against the [[United States]]
*Conspiracy to Launder Money
*Failure to File as an Agent of A Foreign Principal
*False and Misleading FARA{{efn|Foreign Agents Registration Act}} Statements
*False Statements{{efn|A "False Statements" charge is generally easier to prove than [[perjury]].<ref>[https://www.lawfareblog.com/law-lying-perjury-false-statements-and-obstruction The Law of Lying: Perjury, False Statements, and Obstruction (The Russia Connection)] by Helen Klein Murillo (March 22, 2017, 9:30 AM) ''Lawfare''.</ref>}}

On February 22, 2018, additional charges were filed against Manafort and Gates. The new charges against Gates included:<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/file/1038391/download United States of Amercia ''v.'' Paul J. Manafort, Jr. and Richard W. Gates III] Criminal No 1:18 Cr. 83 (TSE)(S-1). In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division</ref>
*Assisting in the Preparation of False United States Individual Income (5 counts)
*Subscribing to False United States Individual Income Tax Returns For 2010–2014 Tax Years (5 counts)
*Subscribing to a False Amended United States Individual Income Tax Return For 2013 Tax Year (1 count)
*Failure To File Reports Of Foreign Bank And Financial Accounts For Calendar Years 2011–2013 (3 counts)
*Bank Fraud Conspiracy (5 counts)
*Bank Fraud (4 counts)

On February 23, 2018, Gates plead guilty to one count each of conspiracy and lying to the FBI, and will cooperate with FBI special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-trump-campaign-official-rick-gates-expected-to-plead-guilty-and-cooperate-with-special-counsel-in-probe-of-russian-election-interference/2018/02/23/ceaaeac8-16b4-11e8-b681-2d4d462a1921_story.html Rick Gates, former Trump campaign official, pleads guilty to 2 charges] by Melissa Macaya & Peter Stevenson (February 23, 2018 at 3:05 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

In a government sentencing memorandum against Alex van der Zwaan ("the lying Dutchman"<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/its-mueller-time-and-the-lying-dutchman-is-the-first-to-fall/2018/04/03/0d534b06-3782-11e8-9c0a-85d477d9a226_story.html It's Mueller time] by Dana Milbank (April 3, 2018 at 7:58 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>), who pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements in February 2018 in the FBI's Russian election interference investigation, it was revealed that Gates and "Person A" were directly communicating during September and October 2016 during the period when Gates was working for the Trump presidential campaign.<ref name=sentencing>[https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4424919/3-27-18-US-Sentencing-Memo-Van-Der-Zwaan.pdf United States of America v. Alex van der Zwaan] Case 1:18-cr-00031-ABJ (Filed 03/27/18) United States District Court for the District of Columbia.</ref><ref name=blake>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/28/mueller-just-drew-the-most-direct-line-to-date-between-the-trump-campaign-and-russia/ Mueller just drew his most direct line to date between the Trump campaign and Russia] by Aaron Blake (March 28, 2018 at 8:57 AM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> It was also revealed that Gates told van der Zwaan that Person A was a former Russian Intelligence Officer with the {{wpl|Main Intelligence Directorate|GRU|.}} Person A is believed to be a former Ukraine-based aide to Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, named Konstantin Kilimnik.<ref name=blake/> Prior to his arrest, van der Zwaan was a London-based lawyer for the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

During the July 2018 trial of Manafort, Gates admitted to having embezzled money from Manafort…<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/08/08/paul-manafort-trial-day-7-live-coverage/ Paul Manafort trial Day 7: Gates finishes, judge dings prosecutors (again), accountant takes stand] by Rachel Weiner, Matt Zapotosky, Lynh Bui and Tom Jackman (August 8, 2018 at 12:53 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> it's true, there's no honor among thieves.

==See also==
*[[Mueller investigation]]
*[[Trump-Russia connection]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates III, Richard W.}}
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Criminals]]
[[Category:Trumpism]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]

Categories: Authoritarianism, Criminals, Trumpism, Living people, United States politicians