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George Nader, a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, has been indicted on a sex-trafficking charge.
The indictment, filed July 3 and unsealed Friday, alleges Nader imported child pornography and engaged “in sexual acts” with a teenage boy he flew to the U.S. from Europe in 2000.
Nader, 60, pleaded not guilty Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. A trial date has been set for Sept. 30.
The Lebanese American businessman acted as a connection between President Trump’s circle and Russian and Middle East officials in 2016 and 2017.
Nader helped set up a January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles between Trump associate and Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian official with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nader was subpoenaed in January 2018 in Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He reportedly testified to a grand jury about his interactions with Trump supporters.
He was arrested in June and accused of being in possession of a cellphone containing child pornography when he arrived at the Washington-Dulles International Airport on Jan. 17, 2018, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nader pleaded guilty to a federal pornography charge in 1991 and was sentenced to six months in prison.