The first person expected to face sentencing under Robert Mueller's investigation appeared before a federal judge on Tuesday morning.
Alex van der Zwaan, a Dutch attorney, pleaded guilty in February to lying to the FBI about his interactions with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates and a person that the FBI has assessed as being tied to Russian military intelligence.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Van der Zwaan faces zero to six months in prison.
The criminal case against van der Zwaan is not directly related to Russian election interference, the main focus of Mueller's probe.
But it has revealed new details about the government's case against Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as well as previously undisclosed connections between senior Trump campaign aides, including Rick Gates, and Russia. The allegations have also opened a window into the intersecting universes of international law, foreign consulting work and politics.
