GUILTY

Former Michael Flynn Associate Convicted of Illegal Lobbying for Turkey

Mueller probed an alleged contract involving Michael Flynn and Bijan Kian before handing the case over to other federal prosecutors.

Bijan Kian, an ex-business partner of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, was found guilty of secretly lobbying on behalf of Turkey. According to Politico, a federal jury decided to convict Kian on two “foreign-agent felony charges” for the work he allegedly performed with Flynn for Turkey in the run-up to the 2016 election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller probed an alleged $600,000 lobbying contract involving the two men, but handed it off to other prosecutors after Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements in 2017. Flynn was reportedly supposed to testify against Kian, but was dropped as a witness shortly before Kian’s trial. The 67-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison, but the judge could toss the verdict after expressing skepticism towards the prosecution’s evidence against Kian. The case’s next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5.