Indicted Russian Company Hires U.S. Lawyers

One of three Russian entities Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted in February for 2016 U.S. presidential election interference has lawyered up.

Politico:

Two Washington-area attorneys — Eric Dubelier and Kate Seikaly of law firm Reed Smith — filed official appearances on behalf of Concord Management and Consulting.

(...)

When the criminal case was filed, many legal experts predicted it would lie dormant indefinitely and never go to trial because none of the defendants were likely to set foot in the U.S. or in a country from which they could be readily extradited. However, no individual is required to appear on behalf of a corporate defendant, other than a lawyer for the company.

(...)

[By] appearing in court through counsel, Concord could force prosecutors to turn over discovery about how the case was assembled as well as evidence that might undermine the prosecution's theories. In addition, Concord's move creates the possibility of a trial that could expose sensitive intelligence information without the prospect of ultimately sending anyone to prison.

(...)

Concord is nominally in the restaurant business and is owned by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, an associate of President Vladimir Putin often referred to as "Putin's chef." If the gambit was successful, Prigozhin could effectively obtain a trial without putting himself personally at risk.

Prosecutors could attempt to head off such a strategy by dismissing Concord and, perhaps, the other corporate defendants, from the case.

(...)

The case is assigned to Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee and the newest member of the U.S. District Court in Washington. A formal arraignment for Concord Management and the Internet Research Agency was scheduled last month before a magistrate judge but was postponed until May 9. There's no indication of whether IRA or the other firm charged in the indictment, Concord Catering, plan to send attorneys to the hearing.