Donald Trump’s co-defendant in the classified records case, Carlos De Oliveira, made his first federal court appearance in Miami on Monday on charges he moved boxes of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago that were sought under federal subpoena and tried to delete video surveillance recordings.
De Oliveira, 56, property manager at Mar-a-Lago, is charged with four counts including conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing an object and making a false statement. He didn’t enter a plea, but was released pending the trial on a $100,000 signature bond. De Oliveira’s arraignment is scheduled Aug. 10 in Fort Pierce, Florida.
“Now it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is,” said John Irving, De Oliveira’s D.C.-based attorney, said while leaving the courthouse.
Trump, who faces 40 charges, and his personal valet Walt Nauta, who faces eight charges, have pleaded not guilty in the case.
A trial is tentatively scheduled to start May 20, amid the GOP presidential primaries as Trump campaigns for president in 2024.
Legal experts said the case appears strong because FBI agents found and seized classified documents during a search of Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, more than a year and a half after Trump left the White House. The documents contain some of the country’s most important secrets, including concerning “nuclear weaponry of the United States.”
But Trump has said he had a right to the documents and that Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is pursuing a political prosecution. Trump said he would continue to campaign even if convicted.
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The updated indictment charges De Oliveira with helping Nauta move dozens of boxes between a storage room and Trump’s residence, and back, after a federal subpoena was issued in May 2022 for classified records.
After another subpoena was issued for video surveillance of the estate, De Oliveira allegedly told an IT staffer “the boss” wanted the server for surveillance cameras deleted, according to the indictment. But the staffer refused.
In an FBI interview Jan. 13, 2023, De Oliveira denied helping unload or move boxes for Trump.
“Never saw nothing,” De Oliveira said, according to the indictment.
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