Paul Manafort’s former son-in-law and real estate partner agrees to cooperate in Russia probe

Jeffrey Yohai, Paul Manafort’s former son-in-law and real estate partner, cut a plea deal with the Justice Department that could involve cooperating against the former campaign chairman, who is wrapped up in Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

As part of the plea agreement, Yohai pled guilty to misusing construction loan funds and to a count related to a bank account overdraft.

Yohai and Manafort invested in real estate deals in both California and New York. Working as close business partners, the two were privy to each other’s financial dealings and cooperated on acquiring property loans, Reuters reported.

Four of the deals the two partnered on in California ended up in bankruptcy court.

The news comes just weeks after Manafort was sued for a botched real estate deal involving the infamous party house at 779 Stradella Road in Bel Air. A court-appointed bankruptcy trustee brought the lawsuit, asking a bankruptcy judge to determine whether the $2.7 million Manafort gave to Yohai was a capital contribution and not a loan.

Manafort, who served as Donald Trump’s campaign chairman for three months, is also facing more than 30 counts of bank fraud, money laundering and tax evasion as part of Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Manafort is scheduled to to go on trial later this year to fight his two Federal indictments. [Reuters] – Natalie Hoberman