Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey are part of the legal team defending a Turkish gold trader charged with helping Iran avoid U.S. sanctions but are serving “ancillary” roles, according to a letter submitted Thursday to a Manhattan federal judge.
Benjamin Brafman of Brafman & Associates said Giuliani, a senior adviser at Greenberg Traurig, and Mukasey, of counsel at Debevoise & Plimpton, will not appear in court on behalf of Reza Zarrab, nor will they take part in plea negotiations with prosecutors. The filing was submitted in response to an order from Southern District Judge Richard Berman to submit briefs explaining Giuliani’s and Mukasey’s roles in Zarrab’s defense.
