Trump property manager Carlos De Oliveira enters no plea on obstruction of justice charge

Georgia judge rejects Donald Trump request to dismiss separate grand jury investigation

Carlos De Oliveira, property manager of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, leaves a federal courthouse in Miami, Florida. AFP

A property manager employed by Donald Trump appeared in a Florida federal court on Monday to face accusations that he tried to help the former president hide secret documents prosecutors say were illegally taken from the White House when Mr Trump left office.

Carlos De Oliveira, who works at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, did not enter a plea as he has yet to obtain local counsel, Reuters reported. A judge scheduled his arraignment for August 10.

Mr De Oliveira is accused of trying to delete security camera footage and lying to investigators. He faces a total of four criminal charges, including obstruction of justice.

US Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres ordered Mr De Oliveira not to talk to other defendants about the case and said he would be released on a $100,000 bond.

Prosecutors first charged Mr Trump and his aide Walt Nauta in the case in June, alleging the former president haphazardly stored hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and enlisted staff to hide them from investigators.

The front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal counts. Mr Nauta also pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Mr Trump said during a radio appearance on Friday that he had turned over all security camera tapes the government had asked for.

In a separate case, a Georgia judge overseeing a grand jury investigation rejected Mr Trump's bid to disqualify the lead prosecutor and block any indictments stemming from the probe, which is expected to yield charges in the coming weeks.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney also denied Mr Trump's request to quash a special grand jury report that included recommendations on whom to charge in connection with a campaign to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results after his opponent, Joe Biden, narrowly carried the state.

The report has remained sealed pending charges in the case.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has indicated she intends to ask a grand jury to approve charges sometime in the next three weeks, telling judges that her staff will mostly work remotely as a safety precaution.