Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., February 28, 2018.

Manafort, now serving a federal sentence of 7½ years in prison in connection with charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller , faces pending felony charges of mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records in New York state.

Those charges contained in an indictment were unveiled by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in March, just minutes after Manafort, 70, was sentenced for the second time on federal charges.

Vance's spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

But a process currently is underway to arrange for the transfer of Manafort from his current home in a minimum security federal correctional facility in Loretto, Pennsylvania, to New York to be arraigned in the state case.

Todd Blanche, Manafort's criminal defense lawyer in New York, told CNBC on Tuesday that he expects Manafort to be sent to the Big Apple in coming weeks.

"I don't believe it's this week," Blanche said. "But I do believe it's soon."

Blanche said that contrary to earlier reports about Manafort's imminent transfer, "I don't know that there's a decision that's been made on" whether to keep Manafort in the jail complex at Rikers Island, where violence among inmates and between guards and inmates is a chronic problem.

Fox News first reported Monday night that Manafort would be sent to Rikers Island, a sprawling jail complex located between the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, and that he is expected to arrive there by Thursday. A source quoted by Fox said that Manafort will be held in solitary confinement for his own protection.

The New York Times published a story Tuesday saying Manafort would be sent to Rikers and likely would be held in isolation.

Prisoners awaiting trial on state charges in Manhattan are routinely held on Rikers.

However, some such prisoners at held at another jail, the Manhattan Detention Center, while some others with medical needs are held in a jail facility at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.

Blanche said he does not believe that Manafort should be kept in any jail in New York pending his trial there.

"I believe that he should be returned to his designated facility [Loretto] until trial, and when there's a trial he comes back," Blanche said.

The lawyer said Loretto is a more appropriate place for Manafort because "he can participate in programs" and can have his medical needs addressed.

"It's a much better environment for a 70-year-old man," Blanche said.

"I'm not sure why the state needs to keep him [in New York] for six months or more months," Blanche said.

A spokesman for the New York court system told CNBC there is no date currently scheduled for Manafort to be arraigned on the state charges.