Mar-a-Lago's Property Manager Enters Plea

Carlos De Oliveira denies 4 charges in classified documents case
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2023 6:28 AM CDT
Mar-a-Lago's Property Manager Enters Plea
Carlos De Oliveira, property manager of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, leaves the Alto Lee Adams Sr. US Courthouse following his arraignment hearing, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, in Fort Pierce, Fla.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Mar-a-Lago's property manager pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four charges in former President Trump's classified documents case. Carlos De Oliveira, 56, is accused of conspiring with Trump to keep boxes of documents from being returned to the federal government, including through the attempted deletion of security footage. The charges against him include conspiracy to obstruct justice, destroying evidence, and lying to the FBI. Trump pleaded not guilty to more than 40 charges in the case last week, while his personal aide, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty to eight charges. De Oliveira's arraignment was delayed because his lawyer in Florida, Larry Donald Murrell Jr., had not filed the necessary paperwork to represent him, per the Washington Post.

Murrell—who is to defend De Oliveira alongside John Irving of Washington, DC—entered the plea on his client's behalf in the hearing at the US Courthouse in Fort Pierce. De Oliveira stood alongside Murrell, "appeared somber and wore dark glasses," per Politico. A Portuguese immigrant, he started out as a maintenance worker at Mar-a-Lago more than a decade ago before becoming a valet. He became property manager in January 2022. Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, will preside over the classified documents trial, tentatively set to begin May 20. Another pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 24. Cannon urged Murrell to get a security clearance before then so he can consult with his client about the classified documents. (More Mar-a-Lago indictment stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X