CASE CLOSED

DOJ Drops Case Against Michael Flynn’s Ex-Business Partner

The feds wrote on Monday that “it is not in the public interest to pursue the case against defendant Bijan Rafiekian further.”

The DOJ on Monday threw out its criminal case against Bijan Rafiekian, an ex-business partner of Michael Flynn who one advised Donald Trump’s transition team in 2016. Rafiekian, who also goes by the last name Kian, was accused of illegally lobbying on behalf of the Turkish government without registering as a foreign agent—allegations that could have sent him to prison. The feds initially said Rafiekian tried to covertly convince U.S. officials to expel a dissident of Turkey at the behest of Turkish government. In a filing on Monday, however, prosecutors wrote that pursuing charges against Rafiekian was no longer “in the public interest.” The decision ends a years-long legal battle surrounding Rafiekian, 71, who was convicted by a jury in 2019 but had his case put on hold after a judge said the evidence presented was too flimsy for an honest conviction. Rafiekian’s case had been the last active litigation surrounding work Flynn’s consulting firm did ahead of the 2016 election.