The Luck of the Draw

For everyone understandably upset at the 4-year sentence given to Paul Manafort, consider this about how UNLUCKY he is.  (Yes, unlucky)  --

After the recent sentencing in Virginia federal court, Manafort's lawyers asked Judge Ellis to make the sentencing for upcoming DC hearing run concurrently with his.  But Ellis said he was not able to, noting that only the DC judge whose hearing comes after could do that.  He did say that if Manafort's lawyers could show that he was wrong, he would take that under advisement.  But his ruling was correct, the first judge is not allowed to make such a ruling.  So, consider  If this just-past Virginia hearing had been the one that came second, Judge Ellis could have made his sentencing run concurrent with whatever DC court under Judge Jackson would have ordered previously. But since it's the DC hearing that is second, whatever new sentence is imposed there will likely be consecutive.