The Mar-a-Lago property manager for Donald Trump made his first court appearance to answer to allegations that he assisted the former president in hiding secret information.
Carlos De Oliveira did not enter a plea at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in Miami on Monday afternoon because he has not yet hired a lawyer. He was dressed in a blue suit and tie.
De Oliveira is charged with conspiring with Trump to try to erase surveillance footage that federal investigators had requested in order to look into the secret materials that Trump had taken from the White House to his Florida home. There are four counts against De Oliveira, including obstructing the administration of justice.
De Olivera’s arraignment was set for August 10 by US Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres, who also commanded him not to communicate with any of the other defendants in the case, including Trump’s valet Walt Nauta.
De Oliveira was informed of his legal rights during the 10-minute hearing and freed on a $100,000 bail.
“The Justice Department has regrettably decided to bring these charges, and now it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is,” De Oliveira’s attorney said following the hearing.
Four days after the prosecution published a revised indictment in the case involving the secret documents, which included new accusations of obstruction and deliberate retention of national defence information, De Oliveira showed up in court. De Oliveira was listed as a third defendant.
When asked if he assisted Nauta in moving boxes of secret information about Mar-a-Lago during a voluntary interview, the prosecution claims that De Oliveira lied to FBI investigators.
According to the superseding indictment released on Thursday, De Oliveira led another Mar-a-Lago employee to a “audio closet” in June 2022 and inquired about the amount of security footage the server could store.
The boss, most likely referring to Trump, wanted the server data wiped, according to De Oliveira. De Oliveira is accused of saying the “boss” demanded it be done and questioned, “What are we going to do?” when the employee replied he didn’t think he could delete the server.
Trump and Nauta have both pleaded not-guilty to all allegations.
On Monday, Trump addressed a second federal indictment that he previously stated he anticipates from special counsel Jack Smith, who is in charge of the investigation into leaked classified information.
Regarding an investigation into the rioting on January 6 at the Capitol and efforts by Trump and his friends to rig the 2020 election, Trump’s attorneys met with Smith’s prosecutors last week.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, “I presume that an Indictment from Deranged Jack Smith and his extremely political gang of Thugs, referring to my “PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY Speech, will be coming out any day now.”