Judge hands down first sentence in Mueller probe
Source: The Hill
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Dutch lawyer Alex van der Zwaan to 30 days in prison for lying to federal investigators, according to multiple reports, in the first criminal sentence to result from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Van der Zwaan, who was also ordered to pay $20,000 in fines, pleaded guilty in late February to making materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations to the special counsels office and FBI agents.
According to the indictment, Van der Zwaan lied about his contacts with Trump campaign official Richard Gates and a Ukraine-based business associate of both Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. He then tried to cover his tracks by deleting emails that the special counsel's office had requested.
Press reports have identified the businessman as Konstantin Kilimnik, a former Russian intelligence officer and a longtime associate of Gates and Manafort.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/381413-judge-hands-down-first-sentence-in-mueller-probe
dammmmn....
iluvtennis
(19,868 posts)white male privilege.
dameatball
(7,399 posts)Raster
(20,998 posts)...and is now actively cooperating with Team Mueller.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)He seems to me the least likely to ever flip. His father in law is a russian oligarch, and I dont think he was facing a lot of time even if the book was thrown at him. Theres just not enough incentive there.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)YessirAtsaFact
(2,064 posts)Just a guess
Texin
(2,596 posts)mpcamb
(2,872 posts)chia
(2,244 posts)I'd be okay with it if he was useful to Mueller.
atreides1
(16,087 posts)With this conviction, and him being a Dutch national, isn't he a candidate for deportation once he completes his sentence?
sandensea
(21,650 posts)I bet he's got a small castle in Belgium waiting for him, courtesy of Uncle Vlad.
SunSeeker
(51,634 posts)The Skadden law firm Van Der Zwaan was working at fired him last year and is cooperating with the investigation. Now he has a felony on his record related to lying. Good luck finding a legal job.
Corgigal
(9,291 posts)He will sing, if he hasn't already by day 7.
Put me down for ten, our DU bookie.
SunSeeker
(51,634 posts)And could very well simply be probation. Not sure why. But given that reporting, the 30 day sentence is not a surprise.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)Julian Englis
(2,309 posts)Flipper!
OnDoutside
(19,965 posts)a little slap, to say "don't lie to us", presumably because he then came clean.
sinkingfeeling
(51,469 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)iluvtennis
(19,868 posts)marble falls
(57,145 posts)this is a big conspiracy: if one person is guilty, then there are other guilty. The first small cakes, the first domino.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,135 posts)ailsagirl
(22,898 posts)nolabels
(13,133 posts)Then got many US soldiers killed because of it and only was only issued a get of jail card (pardon) under the misnomer of 'obstruction of justice' and then took his retirement.
Knowing this, I don't get my hopes up when it comes to seeing federal government being able to solve much as it pertains to policing their own.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)It sends a message, also. The next guy may think about having to serve prison time, and that maybe he won't be so lucky as to get only 30 days. And he'll have a felony conviction on his record.
Kablooie
(18,637 posts)We may be in for a huge disappointment if that's the most they can get.
No deterrent at all.