Michael Flynn Partner Bijan Kian Convicted in Lobbying Case
- U.S. said Kian helped Erdogan retaliate against political foe
- Jury took less than a day to convict Kian on two counts
Bijan Kian, right, arrives at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2018.
Photographer: Zach Gibson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Bijan Kian was convicted by a federal jury of secretly acting as an agent of the Turkish government while working with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, his onetime business partner.
The case against Kian, 67, who co-founded Flynn Intelligence Group, was one of several to grow out of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. That probe cast a light on foreign agents operating in the U.S. without registering, an offense that had been prosecuted rarely.