Wealthy Turkish businessman seeks private jail pending trial
NEW YORK – A wealthy Turkish businessman’s lawyer is trying to persuade a judge to let his client hire armed guards to keep him in a New York apartment pending trial.
Manhattan federal Judge Richard Berman listened to arguments Thursday without ruling. At stake is where Reza Zarrab will await trial on charges he helped Iran evade U.S. sanctions.
Zarrab’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said a 15th-floor Manhattan apartment has already been specially outfitted for home detention. He says a security company has installed video cameras and security alarms to protect against an escape.
He says Zarrab is ready to sign a document agreeing guards can shoot him if he tries to escape.
Prosecutors say a makeshift private prison cannot guarantee Zarrab doesn’t flee. They want him jailed until trial.
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