I’d also add that Van der Zwaan handed over tapes/recordings. That’s what most would consider to be ‘cooperation’. It’s because he did that that he didn’t get charged with conspiracy.
Also, do we really want to wait a year for the trial of Alex Van der Zwaan? Or, do we want to get his valuable info to flip Rick Gates and get much closer to indicting the big boys? I think the latter.
The lawyers for Mueller made no specific recommendation for van der Zwaan’s sentence, but stressed the need for people to not lie or withhold evidence in government investigations.
Seems like Mueller’s team’s not too worried about a light sentence in this instance.
I don’t think any of us should worry either. Mueller’s team know what they’re doing.
sure … depending on how the first two are workin’ out for ya —
( we’ll leave the ’ roommate ’ situation alone … for now )
Oh yeah? Well how the hell do you explain people laughing during an Adam Sandler movie?
Agreed. As I wrote above, he got tapes and leveraged it to get Gates to do a 180 and plead guilty. Do we want to wait a year for the trial of fucking Alex Van der Zwaan? Or, do we want to speed up the clock where we indict the big guns? I think the latter.
I agree. There’s also a bit of gamesmanship possible here.
What I mean is that Trump and his supporters may say, “It’s only a 30 days sentence. Why is Mueller spending all this money and only sending someone to jail for a misdemeanor? Pathetic! FAKE NEWS!”
etc.
In fact, you can be sure people will say that. Two points.
The article needs to mention van der Zwaan’s marriage is to German Khan’s daughter. His lying is likely tied to this fact.
German Khan is a co-founder of Alfa Bank, the largest non-state owned bank in Russia.
A year would likely be reversed on appeal. Twice the guideline max is a serious deviation.
18 U.S.C. 1001 is a felony.
He was probably hired by Skadden in London because of his Russian language and rainmaking skills, what with the preponderance of Russian money sloshing throughout London. However, reading between the lines, he seems to have been something of a clean up man for Russian dirty dealing. Specifically, here, he seems to have been trying to make sure Skadden put a lot of window dressing on the “report” that was supposedly commissioned by the Ukraine from an “independent” western law firm to validate the fairness of Yulia Timochenko’s prosecution. That the report was being influenced by the son-in-law of a Russian oligarch kind of gives the story away.
I’m pretty sure Pops-in-Law can get the information he seeks from a whiff of enhanced interrogation courtesy of Cousin Vlad. Zwaan can then sleep quite well with the fishies. Good conservative mobsters generally prefer there be no potential witnesses to cause controversy with the law. Business is business.
Awesome sauce!
OTOH, light sentence may cause uncomfortable conversations back home. “Honest, Vlad, I didn’t cooperate! Believe me.”
I guess the question now is whether or not 30-days is a stiff enough sentence to scare other witnesses into cooperating with the investigation. My guess is “yes”, except for Manafort, for whom 30-days is far less frightening than ending up with polonium in your breakfast cereal.
White people pretty much suck.
“Build the dikes!”
“Who’s going to pay for them?”
“Netherlands”
Basically, this was just that.
Even if he’s legally employable by a law firm after serving his sentence, his hiring would send up a huge red flag, given his criminal involvement in this Russia mess.
Six months may have been the top of the guideline range, but 5 years is the statutory maximum.
I disagree. Mueller could have asked for a particular sentence; he did not. He’s letting this ripen of its own accord.
Imagine if he had asked for 6 months, and the judge gave less… now THAT would have been a loss of gravitas. IMV, Mueller is being ever strategic. His control of this is masterly.