Mueller Gets Plea, No Cooperation, as Skadden Lawyer Admits Lies
Source: NPR
Alex van der Zwaan, a former associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, admitted in court in Washington that he misled investigators about the last time he talked with Gates, who was indicted in October with Manafort over their consulting work in Ukraine. Gates is reportedly considering cooperating with Mueller.
The guilty plea was the fourth secured by Mueller in his probe of Russian election meddling. But van der Zwaan was the first of those who didnt enter into a cooperation agreement with the special counsels office. His sentencing is scheduled for April 3, a quick turnaround that bolsters the notion that hes not cooperating in exchange for leniency. He faces as long as six months in jail under advisory guidelines.
The case against van der Zwaan may increase the pressure on Gates and Manafort. In pleading guilty to false statements, van der Zwaan admitted that he had conversations with Gates and someone in Ukraine that he later tried to hide from U.S. investigators. The case also shows that Mueller can secure a conviction against a non-U.S. citizen. Van der Zwaan, born in Brussels, is a Dutch citizen.
What Mueller may not gain, however, is a cooperator who can provide an inside account of events and documents that prosecutors are trying to unravel. The 33-year-old lawyer was a point person for Skadden in Ukraine, working on cases on behalf of wealthy Russian and Ukrainian clients.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-21/mueller-gets-plea-no-cooperation-as-skadden-lawyer-admits-lies
While he is not a cooperating witness, the law firm where he was formerly employed is cooperating.
Since his father-in-law is a founder of the Alfa Bank, van der Zwaan probably can just go work for him.
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