Lawyer sentenced in Mueller probe reports to prison

A Dutch lawyer who pleaded guilty to lying to investigators examining Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election has reported to a federal prison to serve out his sentence.

Alex van der Zwaan, 33, arrived at FCI Allenwood Low, a low-security federal prison near Allenwood, Pa.

He was sentenced last month to a $20,000 fine and 30 days in prison, and is expected to be released on June 4, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’s website. 

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In reporting to prison, van der Zwaan becomes the first person charged in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe to be incarcerated.

He pleaded guilty in February to one count of lying to federal investigators about his contacts with former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates. His crime does not appear to be directly related to the central question of Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have also been charged in Mueller’s probe. Gates has pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements and one count of conspiracy against the United States. He is cooperating with investigators.

Manafort is facing numerous charges, including tax and bank fraud, money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department for lobbying work he did abroad. He has pled not guilty to the charges.