Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation saw Lebanese-American businessman George Nader as a key witness. Now, Nader faces significant prison time after pleading guilty to child sex trafficking and possessing child pornography. The 60-year-old entered a plea deal in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
Nader admitted to transporting a 14-year-old boy from the Czech Republic to Washington, D.C., in 2000 for sexual activity. He also admitted to possessing child pornography depicting infants or toddlers, according to Fox News.
Adding to his legal woes, Nader is under indictment in Washington, D.C., along with seven others. The charges involve conspiring to conceal the source of over $3.5 million in political donations to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors allege Nader reported to an unnamed Middle Eastern government on this operation, intending to curry favor with Clinton.
The pornography charge carries a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 10-year sentence at Nader’s sentencing on April 10, but the judge can impose up to 30 years. This stems from his admission of transporting a teenage boy for sexual relations.
Nader’s name appears over 100 times in Mueller’s report, detailing his role as a liaison for a January 2017 meeting between a Russian banker with ties to Vladimir Putin and members of President Trump’s transition team, Fox reported. He previously advised the United Arab Emirates and wired $2.5 million to a top Trump fundraiser, Elliott Broidy, in 2017 to influence U.S. policy against Qatar.
Nader was previously convicted in the Czech Republic of 10 cases of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a one-year prison term in 2003. Czech court documents show he lured boys with money, jewelry, and other items. The 14-year-old victim in the current case is different from those in the Czech case. Nader also pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography images in Virginia in 1991, according to Fox News.
The current investigation began in 2018 after child pornography and bestiality images were found on his phone during the Mueller probe. These images were not the basis for the current conviction. Instead, prosecutors used images and videos he received via email in 2012, some depicting sadistic acts against infants or toddlers.
Court papers reveal Nader discussed child pornography online with an associate, using “wine” as code. They also added 10 years to the ages of people they discussed. Nader argues the statute of limitations has expired for the sex trafficking charge, preserving his right to appeal. However, even if successful, he still faces a mandatory 10-year sentence on the pornography charge. Justice will prevail.