Mueller Scores a Win in Prosecution of 'Putin Chef's' Business
Source: Bloomberg
A U.S. judge denied a request from a Russian company controlled by an associate of Vladimir Putin to dismiss charges that it conspired to interfere with the 2016 election.
It’s a win for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who charged the firm, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, and 13 Russian nationals with a conspiracy that involved Russians fraudulently posing as Americans in 2016 and flooding social media with messages promoting Donald Trump or denigrating his opponent, Hillary Clinton.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump last year, rejected Concord’s claim that the allegations didn’t amount to a crime. The ruling means that the special counsel’s office can proceed with the prosecution.
Concord lawyer Eric Dubelier argued prosecutors didn’t accuse Concord of willfully violating U.S. laws, contending it showed a lack of criminal intent. The judge disagreed, stating it was enough that the indictment show that the company knew it was impairing the lawful functions of the Federal Election Commission, Department of Justice or Department of State.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-15/-putin-s-chef-business-request-to-toss-case-denied-by-judge?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google
An appeals court has yet to rule on the separate claim of Concord's that the appointment of Mueller as Special Counsel was unconstitutional.
Here is the court document:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5130114/Concord-Management-20181115.pdf