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Russian Lawyer Who Met With President’s Son at Trump Tower Is Charged in Unrelated Case

A picture taken on Nov. 8, 2016 shows Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya speaking during an interview in Moscow. (Credit: Yury Martyanov/AFP/Getty Images)

A Russian lawyer who became a focal point of the investigation into whether there was collusion between Russians and President Donald Trump’s election campaign has been charged with obstruction of justice in an unrelated case.

Natalya Veselnitskaya was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday in federal court in New York.

She is believed to be living in Russia.

Prosecutors say Veselnitskaya submitted deceptive declarations to a judge in a civil proceeding involving a Russian tax refund fraud scheme.

Veselnitskaya attended a 2016 meeting with Donald Trump Jr. and Trump son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that was described to Trump Jr. as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign.

Trump Jr. and Kushner have acknowledged attending the meeting but have said it amounted to nothing.

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