State Case Against Paul Manafort Tossed by New York Judge

A New York judge tossed a state criminal case against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, saying the indictment violated a law that protects defendants from being prosecuted for the same crimes twice.

Mr. Manafort, 70 years old, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence after his federal convictions on bank and tax fraud, among other crimes. Mr. Manafort didn’t appear in court Wednesday due to health issues, the judge said.

The state indictment, brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, had accused the former Trump campaign chairman of submitting false documents to banks in order to obtain more than $20 million in loans. Mr. Manafort had faced 16 state charges, including residential-mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records.

In his ruling, Justice Maxwell Wiley said that the legal issues in question were relatively new ones for New York courts. “Given the rather unique set of facts pertaining to the defendant’s previous prosecution in federal court, and given New York’s law on this subject, defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment as barred by state double jeopardy law must be granted,” he wrote.