Former Donald Trump campaign aide Rick Gates is still cooperating in "several ongoing investigations," the special counsel's office said Tuesday, requesting a delay in his sentencing.
Gates, who was the star witness in the financial fraud trial of his longtime partner Paul Manafort, agreed to cooperate with Robert Mueller's Russia probe after pleading guilty last February to financial fraud and lying to investigators.
In court papers filed Tuesday by Robert Mueller and Gates's lawyer Thomas Green, the parties asked for a 60-day extension on setting a sentencing date to accommodate Gates's ongoing cooperation.
"Defendant Gates continues to cooperate with respect to several ongoing investigations, and accordingly the parties do not believe it is appropriate to commence the sentencing process," the court filing says.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman granted the request, setting a date of March 15 for the two sides to update the court.
Last November, Mueller also cited Gates's ongoing cooperation in asking for a delay in his sentencing. Gates, who served as Trump's deputy campaign chairman and deputy chairman of the Trump inaugural committee, is facing up to six years in prison under the terms of his cooperation deal.
During Manafort's trial in federal court in Virginia, Gates admitted to tax fraud, extramarital affairs and embezzling money from his former boss and mentor.
Manafort was convicted on eight counts of bank and tax fraud. He later agreed to cooperate with the special counsel's probe of Russian election interference, but federal prosecutors said Manafort broke the deal by lying to investigators.
Manafort also pleaded guilty to a count of witness tampering and a count of fraud in a separate case in federal court in Washington, D.C.
