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Rick Gates, former employee of the Trump campaign and key collaborator of the investigation led by the special advocate in Russia, is not ready to be convicted as he continues to participate in "several investigations in progress "said a prosecutor Friday.
Gates is a central figure in the investigation of special advocate Robert Mueller on Russian interference in the elections and his eventual coordination with the Trump campaign. But he also helps the federal authorities in New York study Trump's inaugural committee as well as the foreign lobbying work done by Washington's internal figures.
The joint filing by Mueller's office and Gates' lawyers comes as the investigation in Russia ends. But it is unclear whether Friday's delay is an indication that Mueller could submit his confidential report soon or whether it is related to the progress of other investigations.
The filing requires an additional 60 days to inform US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the possibility for Gates to proceed with sentencing.
Last year, Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy and misrepresentation regarding lobbying activities in Ukraine and political consultations with former Trump campaign president, Paul Manafort, sentenced to more than seven years of jail.
Gates helped the government get a trial sentence from Manafort last year. Prosecutors said he was still providing information on the time that Manafort had spent on the Trump campaign, although no man was charged with any crime related to the crime. Russian electoral interference.
Nevertheless, Mueller's Attorney, Andrew Weissmann, who headed the Manafort case, told a federal judge earlier this year that a meeting that Gates had attended with Manafort in August 2016 had been to heart "of the investigation on Russia. The meeting at the Grand Havana Room cigar club in New York was held with Konstantin Kilimnik, a long-time partner of Manafort who, according to the FBI, has links with Russian intelligence services.
Prosecutors did not reveal exactly what had motivated their interest in the meeting, although court documents indicate that this implied a discussion of a possible Russian-Ukrainian peace plan.
