Former Skadden associate charged with lying to FBI in Mueller probe

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Skadden offices in Washington, D.C. (Photo: ALM)[/caption] US special counsel Robert Mueller has charged Alex van der Zwaan, a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom associate and son-in-law of the Russian oligarch German Khan, of lying to investigators, according to a court filing. Van der Zwaan faces charges of making false statements last November, according to a document filed in court last week and made public Tuesday. Van der Zwaan is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Washington, DC, Tuesday afternoon. A Skadden spokeswoman said in an email that the firm fired van der Zwaan in 2017 and has been cooperating with authorities in connection with the matter.The document said van der Zwaan, who was with Skadden's London office, lied to investigators about his 2012 work as part of a Skadden team that prepared a report of the trial of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Van der Zwaan allegedly lied about his communications about the report with Rick Gates, a former top aide to President Donald Trump's campaign, who pleaded not guilty last year to several charges brought by Mueller's team. Gates is expected to reverse his plea in the coming days and to eventually testify against his co-defendant and former boss, Paul Manafort, who served briefly as chairman of Trump's campaign, according to reports over the weekend.Van der Zwaan is also accused of lying about his communications with an unknown person, referred to in the document as "Person A," and of deleting an email between him and "Person A."Manafort’s indictment claims he likely lobbied and paid at least in part for the report. Van der Zwaan's case is assigned to US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who also oversees the case against Manafort and Gates. The charges are the latest from Mueller as his activity appears to have increased in the past weeks. Friday, a grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three companies over involvement in the 2016 election. A guilty plea by a California man accused of selling bank accounts was also made public last week. Read the allegations below: [falcon-embed src="embed_1"] Read more:DOJ's Civil Division, Citing 'Surge' in Lawsuits, Wants 22 More LawyersMueller's Team Charges Russian Nationals in US Election InterferenceWhat to Know After Latest Hearing in Paul Manafort's Criminal CaseTrump's CNN Beef Isn't a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' for AT&T, DOJ Tells Judge