May 9 (UPI) — The first person to be sentenced in special prosecutor Robert Mueller‘s ongoing investigation of alleged collusion between the Russian government and Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign has reported to prison, corrections officials said.
Alex van der Zwaan, a 33-year-old Dutch attorney, reported to a low-security federal prison in Allenwood, Pa., on Monday to serve his 30-day sentence, Politico reported. A federal judge sentenced him in April for lying to federal investigators about his involvement with a report written by his London-based law firm in 2012 at the request of the Ukrainian government.
According to the Bureau of Prisons’ website, van der Zwaan’s release date is June 4. He also was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and serve two months of probation as part of his sentence.
Van der Zwaan is a former attorney for London-based international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. In 2012, the firm wrote a report for the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice on the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The report was designed to deflect international criticism of then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader, who jailed Tymoshenko, a Russia critic.
According to Mueller’s indictment, van der Zwaan “deleted and otherwise did not produce emails sought by the special counsel’s office” related to the report and his subsequent contact with former Trump aide Rick Gates.
Although van der Zwaan was accused of lying about his contact with Gates, the indictment did not refer to the 2016 presidential campaign.
Gates and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort also were indicted on charges of fraud and lying to investigators. Gates pleaded guilty in February. Manafort has maintained his innocence.
