First sentence in Mueller probe expected to be handed down: report

by Rebecca Savransky - 04/03/18 7:28 AM ET

A federal court on Tuesday is reportedly expected to hand down its first sentence in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference.

Dutch national Alex van der Zwaan — who pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents — is expected to be sentenced, ABC News reported.

Van der Zwaan was charged with making “materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations” to Mueller’s office and FBI agents, according to a court filing released last month.

{mosads}Van der Zwaan lied about his last communications with former Trump campaign adviser Richard Gates and then deleted emails requested by the special counsel’s office, according to the indictment.

He had reportedly worked for a firm hired by the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to prepare a report on the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister of Ukraine.

The charges against van der Zwaan appear to be related to a report produced by the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom that helped the Ukrainian government counter international criticism that the 2011 prosecution and conviction of Tymoshenko had been driven by political aims.

Van der zwaan was an associate in Skadden’s London office, according to reports. The law firm previously said in a statement that it “terminated its employment of Alex van der Zwaan in 2017 and has been cooperating with authorities in connection with this matter.”

The New York Times reported last year that the law firm’s report was arranged by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as part of his work for Viktor Yanukovych, a former pro-Russia president of Ukraine.

Van der Zwaan could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, according to ABC News. Federal guidelines call for a sentence of zero to six months.

Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

President Trump has repeatedly dismissed the Russia probe as a witch hunt and has denied collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Tags Donald Trump Paul Manafort Robert Mueller