Paul Manafort is facing charges from Robert Mueller and a major fight ahead. Friends of his have stepped up and started a fund to lend his defense a hand.

According to the Washington Post:

Friends of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have launched a legal-defense fund to defray his attorney fees as he fights tax fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering charges filed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

In a statement released Wednesday, unnamed friends of the longtime lobbyist said the Paul Manafort Defense Fund was created because Manafort and his family are “struggling to pay legal bills” arising from his prosecution in the special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Manafort, 69, faces two upcoming trials — one in Virginia in July and another in Washington in September — on felony counts related to his decade-long work for a pro-Russian politician and entities in Ukraine. He has pleaded not guilty.

His longtime aide and co-defendant, Rick Gates, pleaded guilty in February in a cooperation deal with prosecutors from Mueller’s office.

The court battle is still ongoing and it is yet to be seen how the criminal proceedings will play out. It looks like Manafort is ready to fight Mueller toe-to-toe which will be quite interesting.