FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

The VICE Guide to Right Now

Paul Manafort Says He's Being Treated Like a 'VIP' in Jail

Apparently he's got his own cell with a private bathroom, access to a phone and computer, and doesn't have to wear a uniform.
Drew Schwartz
Brooklyn, US
Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP

Last month, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort got locked up at a jail in northern Virginia for allegedly trying to tamper with witnesses in the Mueller probe. Actual inmates who've been in the jail painted a pretty bleak picture of what he was in for, calling conditions "miserable." But as Manafort tells it, his time at the Northern Neck Regional Jail has apparently been pretty plush.

Over one of his monitored phone calls from prison, the former Trump campaign chief allegedly said he was even being treated like a "VIP."

Advertisement

The conversation was noted in a court filing that surfaced on Wednesday from prosecutors working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Prosecutors said Manafort also lives alone in an extra large cell, meets with his lawyers daily, and gets a shit-ton of other perks—from a de facto private office to his very own bathroom, the Washington Post reports.

"Telephone logs indicate Manafort has spoken to his attorneys every day, and often multiple times a day," prosecutors said. "Manafort also possess a personal laptop that he is permitted to use in his (jail) unit to review materials and prepare for trial. The jail has made extra accommodations for Manafort's use of the laptop, including providing him an extension cord to ensure the laptop can be used in his unit and not just in the separate workroom."

He also apparently "is not required to wear a prison uniform," though it's unclear if Manafort is walking around the jail in his usual $7,000 suits.

Seeing as Manafort is currently residing in a spot the Washington Post already deemed the "VIP" wing of the jail, a lock-up that's housed Michael Vick and Chris Brown, things might not be so great if he winds up in prison.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Drew Schwartz on Twitter.