Former Trump Aide Rick Gates Expected to Plead Guilty On Friday, Gates is expected to plead guilty to charges related to the Russian meddling the 2016 U.S. election. Gates and his co-defendant Paul Manafort were charged in a 12-count indictment back in October. The two were accused of laundering more than $75 million through lobbyist work for a Pro-Russian Ukranian political party. Additional charges were announced for the two on Thursday, but no trial date has been set yet.