Paul Manafort’s Daughter Files Petition to Change Her Name
Jessica Manafort, the 36-year-old daughter of convicted felon and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, no longer wants to be known as a Manafort.
On Friday, the independent filmmaker and self-described “passionate liberal” filed paperwork at the Manhattan Supreme Court to change her surname to Bond, her mother’s maiden name, the New York Post reported.
She told the newspaper that she’s seeking the change “to separate myself and my work from a public perception that has nothing to do with the person that I am.”
In July, her film “Rosy” was released under the pseudonym “Jess Bond.” It is the first of her films to be released since her father briefly occupied a top role in Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency in 2016, the Los Angeles Times noted. Since then, Paul Manafort’s life has imploded. On Aug. 21, a jury found him guilty on eight of 18 felony counts, including bank and tax fraud.
The elder Manafort faces a second trial in Washington, DC, on money laundering, conspiracy, and other charges. Jury selection in that trial is scheduled for Sept. 17, although his lawyers have argued for a change of venue, saying that public comments by President Donald Trump have made it impossible to receive a fair trial.
Washington Post columnist Colby King called the claim of DC jury bias “as phony as a canary with fangs.”
According to the Times, Jessica Manafort was married to Jeffrey Yohai, a bankrupt real estate developer who pleaded guilty to two federal crimes related to his financial dealings. His plea agreement requires him to cooperate with other federal investigations, including those of his former father-in-law. Yohai has accused Paul Manafort of misleading a federal bankruptcy court regarding joint real estate deals involving the estranged family members.
Jessica Manafort filed for divorce from Yohai in March 2017, USA Today reported.
“Jess Bond” does have a nice ring to it, and given her family’s mindboggling legal problems—and the likelihood of Russian mobsters lurking around—it’s probably not a good time to be known as a Manafort anyway.