Paul Manafort Biography

(American Lobbyist and Political Consultant)

Birthday: April 1, 1949 (Aries)

Born In: New Britain, Connecticut, United States

Paul Manafort is an American convicted felon and former lawyer, who is currently serving his sentence. Before being indicted for several serious criminal offenses, he enjoyed a flourishing career as a lawyer, political consultant, and international lobbyist. He established the lobbying firm ‘Black, Manafort & Stone,’ which was later named ‘Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly.’ After moving out of this firm, he founded another lobbying company, ‘Davis, Manafort & Freedman.’ His clients included Jonas Savimbi, a rebel leader from Angola; former dictator of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. He advised several American presidents, such as Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump.

11
Quick Facts

Also Known As: Paul John Manafort Jr.

Age: 74 Years, 74 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Kathleen Manafort (m. 1978)

father: Paul J. Manafort Sr.

mother: Antoinette Marie Manafort

children: Andrea Manafort, Jess Bond

Born Country: United States

Lawyers Fraudsters

More Facts

education: Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center

Childhood & Early Life

Paul Manafort was born Paul John Manafort Jr., on April 1, 1949, in New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.A., to Antoinette Mary Manafort (nee Cifalu) and Paul John Manafort Sr.

His father served as a combat engineer in the ‘U.S. Army’ during World War II and as the mayor of New Britain between 1965 and 1971.
Manafort graduated from the ‘St. Thomas Aquinas High School,’ New Britain. In 1971, he earned his BS in business administration from ‘Georgetown University,’ Washington, D.C., U.S. Three years later, he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the same university.
Continue Reading Below
As an International Lobbyist
Before he ventured into a career as a lobbyist, Paul Manafort worked as a lawyer with a Washington, D.C. law firm named ‘Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP’ from 1977 to 1980.

Paul Manafort co-founded the lobbying firm ‘Black, Manafort & Stone’ in 1980, with partners Charles R. Black Jr. and Roger J. Stone. The company was one of the first political advisory organizations that worked with Ronald Reagan during his presidential campaign in 1980.

After they recruited Peter G. Kelly in 1984, the company was renamed ‘Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly’ (BMSK).
‘BMSK’ signed a contract worth $600,000 with Jonas Savimbi, the leader of the rebel Angolan organization ‘National Union for the Total Independence of Angola.’ The firm was able to convince the ‘U.S. Congress’ to fund Savimbi’s anti-communist and anti-Soviet agenda covertly. It is believed that due to Manafort’s influence, Savimbi continued to receive funding even after the Soviet Union broke up.
Between June 1984 and June 1986, he worked as a ‘Foreign Agents Registration Act’ (FARA)-approved lobbyist for Saudi Arabia. During this period, his company also signed an annual contract worth $950,000 with the ‘The Chamber of Philippine Manufacturers, Exporters and Tourism Associations.’
In 1989, he began lobbying for Mobutu Sese Seko, the then-president of Zaire, after signing an annual agreement worth $1 million. Two years later, his firm signed a deal of the same value with Nigeria.

Between 1990 and 1994, Paul Manafort was paid $700,000 by the ‘Kashmiri American Cultural Association,’ which was funded by ‘Inter-Services Intelligence,’ Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency.

From 1991 to 1993, his firm earned between $660,000 and $750,000 annually by lobbying for the governments of Kenya, the Dominican Republic, and Equatorial Guinea.
Manafort’s services to Édouard Balladur, a French politician, in 1995 linked him to the “Karachi Affair,” also known as the “Agosto Submarine Scandal.’
Continue Reading Below

In 1996, Paul Manafort resigned from the ‘BMSK’ and partnered with Richard H. Davis and Mathew C. Freedman to establish the lobbying organization ‘Davis, Manafort & Freedman Inc.’

In late 2003 and early 2004, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska met some known contacts of Manafort to further his cause in the U.S. Soon, Oleg hired Manafort to take his political interests forward in Georgia. However, Oleg later withdrew his plans for Georgia.
Oleg sought Manafort’s services to support Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, who later fled to Monaco after being accused of murder. Before Rinat fled, Manafort had arranged for Rinat’s meeting with a few high-flying politicians in Washington, D.C.
Also, Oleg hired Paul Manafort to work with Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort worked as an advisor for Victor’s presidential campaign between December 2004 and February 2010. Following this, Viktor won the elections and became the president of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian authorities, Manafort had traveled to Ukraine from time to time, until 2015.

Reportedly, between 2010 and 2014, Paul Manafort had received payments amounting to $60 million from Rinat. According to a reliable news portal, he shut down his office in Ukraine in May 2016.

In 2017, he lobbied on behalf of the governments of China, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Kurdistan, an autonomous region in Iraq.
Presidential Clients
In 1976, Paul Manafort worked with the team of Gerald Ford, the then-president of the United States of America.

From 1978 to 1980, Paul Manafort worked with Ronald Reagan’s presidential election campaign team. After Reagan won the elections, Manafort was made the associate director of the ‘White House Presidential Personnel Office.’

He was appointed to the board of directors of the ‘Overseas Private Investment Corporation,’ which merged with another organization to form what is presently known as the ‘U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.’
Continue Reading Below
He served as a consultant to George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole during their presidential election campaigns of 1988 and 1996, respectively.
In early 2016, he was hired by Donald Trump to help him with his presidential campaign. On June 20, 2016, he was promoted to the post of campaign manager. As the depth of his past links with Russia and Ukraine came to light, his role was curtailed by Trump. Manafort later resigned from the post.
Family & Personal Life
Paul Manafort married Kathleen Bond Manafort on August 12, 1978. The following year, she graduated with a BBA from the ‘George Washington University,’ Washington, D.C. Like her husband, she is also a Doctor of Jurisprudence. In 1988, she cleared her ‘Virginia Bar Exam.’
They have two daughters, Jessica and Andrea.
Reportedly, he owned quite a few premium real-estate properties between 2006 and 2012. These purchases are still being investigated.
Before his disbarment hearing, he resigned from the Connecticut bar and surrendered his right to seek readmission.

Follow Paul Manafort On:

Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Paul Manafort in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Paul Manafort Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/paul-manafort-51959.php

People Also Viewed

Nikki Haley Biography
Nikki Haley
(American)
 
Barack Obama Biography
Barack Obama
(American)
 
Kathy Hochul Biography
Kathy Hochul
(American)
 
Ron DeSantis Biography
Ron DeSantis
(American)
 
Kamala Harris Biography
Kamala Harris
(American)
 
Gavin Newsom Biography
Gavin Newsom
(American)
 
Jordan Belfort Biography
Jordan Belfort
(American)