A US judge has declined a request filed by attorneys of Brian Rafiekian, a former associate of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, to delay a trial until September, media reported on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd January, 2019) A US judge has declined a request filed by attorneys of Brian Rafiekian, a former associate of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, to delay a trial until September, media reported on Thursday.The hearing for Flynn's former business partner who pleaded guilty to working on behalf of Turkey will still take place on February 11 as ordered by District Judge Anthony Trenga, the Courthouse news Service reported.
Kian's lawyer Robert Trout argued that the defense team does not have time to fully prepare for the criminal trial and has to process a large amount of evidence from foreign countries. Trout stressed the attorneys handed to the court "discovery amounting to terabytes" that has been received from the Office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The judge was not convinced that the trial date should be delayed and ordered the defendant's lawyer to submit all the evidence to the court before January 21.
Kian was arrested and indicted in a Federal court in Virginia last month for acting as an agent of a foreign government and conspiring to get Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen extradited from the United States. If convicted, Kian would face five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and 10 for acting as the agent of a foreign government, according to the Justice Department.
Flynn remains a key figure in the Russia probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The former White House official pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI but agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. His sentencing trial is scheduled for March 15.
