Mueller's Russia probe shows it pays to cooperate
The message is unmistakable: It pays to cooperate with the government.They form a counterpoint to the experiences of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman who has refused to cooperate and faces decades in prison, and send a message to others entangled in the Mueller probe that they, too, could receive favorable treatment if they agree to work with investigators.
"There's no question that it's in the government's interest to take what steps they can to show that cooperating is in the interest of the defendant," said Daniel Petalas, a former federal prosecutor.
"There is a societal interest, frankly, in having people cooperate with prosecutors because often the government only can know what's happened based on documentary evidence and witnesses that it speaks with," said Sharon McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor in New York.
Former Manhattan federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy wrote last month in the National Review that Mueller was shirking Justice Department protocols by offering Gates, Manafort's co-defendant and a key Trump campaign aide, a "Penny-ante plea" instead of requiring him to plead to the most serious charges he faced.
"Everybody who practices in federal court knows you're going to get more leeway from prosecutors on bail if your client is cooperating," said Duke University law professor Samuel Buell.
"Prosecutors are going to be cognizant that there are always going to be credibility issues with cooperators," said former prosecutor Peter Zeidenberg, "But these are very experienced prosecutors and they're making a decision that, on balance, they're getting something in return."
https://wtop.com/social-media/2018/04/muellers-russia-probe-shows-it-pays-to-cooperate/
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