Paul Manafort (mug shot)
State charges were thrown out against Paul Manafort, making a presidential pardon less complicated.
A New York Supreme Court judge dismissed an indictment against Manafort on mortgage fraud and more than a dozen other state felonies, which was brought by Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance, reported the New York Times.
Justice Maxwell Wiley tossed the indictment, ruling the charges had violated the legal principle of double jeopardy after Manafort's conviction on similar charges in Virginia.
If President Donald Trump pardoned his former campaign chairman on federal crimes, Manafort would still face prison time in Virginia.
