Patten's case, and how it related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, has been full of intrigue but short on details. Many of the filings in the case are still under seal, leading many to speculate that Patten might be a marquee cooperator.
Patten's lawyers wrote Monday that he was a valuable asset for the Mueller investigation and other federal prosecutors. But the details of how he helped prosecutors will be submitted in sealed filings that aren't available to the public, they said.
"Mr. Patten earned the trust of the government and became a reliable and valuable resource," they wrote, noting that he assisted "several ongoing investigations."
Patten previously admitted funneling money from a Russia-friendly oligarch to the Trump inauguration, and that he lied about it to Congress. But Patten's lawyers said Monday that his actions were not intended to "cover up" foreign interference in the US election.
"[H]is crimes were not motivated by greed or a desire to conceal relevant information from the American public or to aid or cover up any potential interference with the 2016 Presidential election," Patten's lawyers wrote in their sentencing memo.
Patten's attorneys wrote that his use of an American company to disguise the purchase of inauguration tickets for a Ukrainian national was not part of an effort to funnel foreign money into the Trump campaign but another a "breakdown in judgement" to please his client. They went on to say that Patten didn't even like President Donald Trump, even though he facilitated a donation to the Trump inauguration.
"Mr. Patten did not support the Trump campaign and while he may have known people who worked for the campaign at various times, he had no personal connection to it," his lawyers wrote. "Indeed, Mr. Patten not only openly opposed the Trump candidacy but even broke with his party when he voted for President Trump's opponent in the 2016 presidential election."
He pleaded guilty in August to acting as an unregistered agent for the Opposition Bloc, a Ukrainian political party that favors close ties with Russia. He worked for some of the same oligarchs that hired Paul Manafort, who became Trump's campaign chairman.
Manafort was sentenced last month to more than seven years in prison on federal fraud and tax charges.
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