Mueller investigation witness George Nader indicted on sex trafficking charges

George Nader, a key witness in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation with links to associates of President Trump, has been indicted on sex trafficking charges, according to multiple reports.

The three-count indictment, unsealed on Friday in the Eastern District of Virginia, accuses the Lebanese American businessman of transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe for sexual activity, The Washington Post reports.

{mosads}Nader, 60, has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial Sept. 30, the Post reported.

Prosecutors allege that Nader brought the boy to the U.S. through Dulles International Airport and to his Washington home for sexual activity, the Post reported.

He was denied bail by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who cited “the nature of the charges and [his] extensive overseas connections,” according to the newspaper.

In initial charges filed earlier this year, authorities accused Nader of possessing child pornography when he arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport from Dubai in January 2018. The Justice Department said at the time that Nader pleaded guilty in 1991 to the same charge of transporting explicit images of minors.

Nader’s attorney told the Post in a statement that “none of the text messages surrounding the videos at issue (all but two of which were allegedly sent to the iPhone in question) indicate that Mr. Nader in any way solicited this content.” They added that the new charge of transporting a child is “factually unfounded” and outside the statute of limitations.

Nader was a key figure in Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sitting for multiple interviews, including one that was conducted under a “proffer agreement” — a potential signal that he believed he could be charged with crimes and spoke to prosecutors on the condition his statements wouldn’t be used against him.