Paul Manafort's inability to save Word files as PDFs provided the evidence necessary to indict him for fraud

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/02/23/d-u-m-dum.html

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Depends on the OS, version of Office, etc.

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He could have just emailed Gates to ask him to Google “how to save a financial document in PDF format after doctoring it” on Manafort’s behalf.

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Stupid Watergate.

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A genuine conspiracy of dunces.

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Planet Money did an episode on Manafort and his money laundering, and he was absolutely inept at that as well. anatomy of a hustle

He also kept all the incriminating documentation in his house. How stupid is that.
Never mind being overly lavish in his spending, $1000 ties, millions on rugs, (buying expensive properties in the US under his name etc).

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He would also need to know to doctor the metadata in the file, because Word and PDF files keep some information about the last people to edit it.

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It was actually PDF to Word which is a more challenging conversion

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And back again.

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As a person who has managed a help desk, knowing that the seemingly futile efforts I put into showing people how to convert file types might keep them out of Federal Pound Me in the Ass Prison is a very satisfying development.

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When I first read this, I presumed he was emailing Bill Gates. Because only Bill would know how to do that in MS Word.

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Or put them into, if they don’t keep the helpdesk happy.

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He’s not the only one. That’s exactly how my 4th wife caught me cheating on her with my 3rd and 5th.

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Criminaling. Who knew it could be so hard?

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I am having this amusing but probably erroneous image (honestly, who knows anymore) of Viktor Yanukovych’s literally riotous presidential end being due to Manafort’s inability to make PDFs thus ushering in doom ala some Rick and Morty type scenario.

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Cry for help? Hopeless bumblefuck? Both?

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The stupid. it burns…

http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Word-2010-All-in-One-For-Dummies.productCd-0470487666.html

http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Adobe-Acrobat-6-PDF-For-Dummies.productCd-0764537601.html

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“Grandpa, do you need help in there committing fraud?”

“No, I’m good, just going to email a friend of mine.”

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Fun fact: “PDF to Word and Back Again” is also the subtitle of The Hobbit!

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Where’s Clippy when you need him? “It looks like you’re trying to forge tax documents. Would you like help?”

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