The indictment says "Manafort spent millions of dollars on luxury goods and services for himself and his extended family".

As well as his property acquisitions, here's a list of some of the other things he spent the money on, according to the charge sheet:

• $934,350 at an antique rug store in Alexandria, Virginia
• $5,434,793 to a home improvement company in the Hamptons, New York
• $849,215 at a men’s clothing store in New York
• $820,240 to a landscaper in the Hamptons, New York
• $623,910 to an antique dealer in New York
• $520,400 to a clothing store in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
• $210,705 for three Range Rovers and $62,750 for a Mercedes-Benz
• $112,825 for audio, video home installation

From the indictment: "Manafort and Gates, together with others, knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful governmental functions of a government agency namely the Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury."

United States of America v Paul J Manafort Jr and Richard W Gates III

According to the indictment, Manafort used one of his entities in Cyprus to buy two properties in trendy areas of New York City.

He paid $2,280,000 for an apartment on 29 Howard Street in the Soho neighbourhood, renting out the flat for thousands of dollars per week on Airbnb.

He also bought a brownstone for $3m in cash at 377 Union Street in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn.

The indictment continues:

"Upon conviction of the offense charged in Count Two [money laundering], the defendants, Paul J Manafort and Richard W Gates III shall forfeit to the United States any property, real or personal, involved in such offense, and any property traceable to such property."

Manafort’s Brooklyn and Soho properties, together with his homes in Alexandria, Virginia, and in Long Island, New York, would be subject to seizure, the indictment says.

California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranked Democrat in Congress, has reiterated her call for an independent prosecutor such as the one set up to investigate the Watergate scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

"Even with an accelerating Special Counsel investigation inside the Justice Department, and investigations inside the Republican Congress, we still need an outside, fully independent investigation to expose Russia’s meddling in our election and the involvement of Trump officials.

"Defending the integrity of our democracy demands that Congress look forward to counter Russian aggression and prevent future meddling with our elections."

"Gates aided Manafort in obtaining money from these offshore accounts, which he was instrumental in opening.

"Like Manafort, Gates used money from the offshore accounts to pay for his personal expenses including his mortgage, children’s tuition and interior decorating of his Virginia residence.

"In total more than $75,000,000 flowed through the offshore accounts.

"Manafort laundered more than $18,000,000, which was used by him to buy property, goods and services in the United States."

Republican Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana says he will continue to support the FBI special counsel's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Manafort's client list at his lobbying firm included dictators such as Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Mobutu Sese Seko of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A 1992 report by the Center for Public Integrity titled "The Torturers' Lobby" accused his firm of directing US government aid to countries that had paid for his lobbying.

In a 2015 podcast, his longtime associate Roger Stone described how the firm "lined up most of the dictators in the world that we could find".

He also served as an adviser to Ukraine's pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, until he was deposed in the 2014 revolution.

Last year, Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko said the government had found evidence that Mr Manafort had tried to hide a payment of $750,000 (£600,800) from a pro-Russian party in 2009.

Mr Manafort, 68, has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns, beginning with Gerald Ford's in 1976.

He resigned as chairman of the Trump campaign in August 2016 after being accused of having links to a pro-Russian political party working in Ukraine. He denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Manafort was also present at a meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information on Mr Trump's rival Hillary Clinton.

Manafort's longtime associate Rick Gates has also been indicted on federal charges.

A New York Times profile, external of Gates, 45, writes that he played a key role in Manafort's lobbying for foreign governments, and his name appears on documents linked to payments from politicians in Eastern Europe.

When Manafort was hired as Trump's campaign chairman, Gates joined the campaign, too.

He also played a key role at the Republican convention in July, in which Trump secured the party nomination.

Image source, Getty Images

The investigations into Russian interference in the US election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, continue to deliver daily developments and drama worthy of anything seen in House of Cards.

There are several ongoing investigations into the Trump campaign's ties with Russia, and reports of imminent arrests.

Here is your viewer's guide to the main characters in the first three seasons of the only political drama that matters.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

For years Paul Manafort operated on the fringes of power, a once-influential Washington player who worked with some less-than-savoury international characters because his services were no longer in high demand domestically.

Then, like many other politicos in Donald Trump’s orbit, he was thrust into the spotlight because more established hands wanted nothing to do with the upstart's presidential campaign.

Manafort got his big break, but it may end up breaking him. That resulting spotlight has drawn attention to his past dealings and raised questions about his actions while at the top of the Trump campaign.

The question now is whether these new charges stem from Manafort’s past business dealings or his Trump work. Given that longtime Manafort associate Rick Gates has also been targeted, it could be the former.

That would be a best-case scenario for President Trump, who cut Manafort loose last August after details emerged of his ties to Russia-friendly Ukrainian politicians.

Either way, Manafort now will be under growing pressure to co-operate with the Mueller investigation. If he has useful information, it could go a long way toward determining whether this is an isolated event or the first domino to fall.

The FBI special counsel's spokesman has just given us this statement:

"Paul J. Manafort, Jr., 68, of Alexandria, Va., and Richard W. Gates III, 45, of Richmond, Va., have been indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 27, 2017, in the District of Columbia.

"The indictment contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts."

Full indictment here, external.

Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort has arrived at the FBI's field office in Washington DC and is expected to face charges stemming from an inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

These are the first charges announced by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed to lead the investigation after Mr Trump fired FBI directer James Comey.

The charges that Manafort and his associate Rick Gates reportedly face have not yet been announced, but US media say Manafort will face tax fraud charges.

He spent most of his career in Washington as a lobbyist for foreign governments, including a decade in Ukraine representing disposed pro-Russia leader Viktor Yanukovych.