Dutch lawyer caught in Mueller probe gets 30-day sentence

Name: WORLD
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A Dutch lawyer will spend 30 days in prison for lying to FBI investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Alex van der Zwaan is the first person sentenced as part of Mueller’s investigation. He admitted in February that he lied about his contacts with Trump campaign aide Rick Gates and an unidentified person with ties to Russian intelligence. His lawyers argued he’d suffered enough for his decision to lie to investigators, but U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled he needed to spend some time behind bars as a deterrent to others. He also must pay a $20,000 fine. The charges against van der Zwaan are not directly related to Russian election interference.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.