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Barrack, 74, chaired Trump's 2017 inaugural fund and was a
frequent guest at the White House. He pleaded not guilty in July
to seven criminal counts related to allegations he secretly
lobbied the Trump administration for the UAE between 2016 and
2018, and lied to investigators about his ties to the country.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said jury selection in Brooklyn
federal court would begin on Sept. 7, with the trial beginning
shortly thereafter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hiral Mehta said he
expected the trial to last three weeks, though he said that was
a "cautious" estimate.
The ruling came after Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for Barrack,
asked that a trial begin as soon as possible, arguing the time
that has gone by since his July 2021 arrest had taken an
"excruciating and devastating toll on Mr. Barrack."
Barrack was released from custody pending trial in July
after reaching an agreement with prosecutors that called for him
to put up a $250 million bond secured by $5 million in cash.
Petrocelli said he would move to dismiss the case this month.
Billionaire Barrack is the founder of digital
infrastructure-focused private equity firm DigitalBridge Group
Inc, formerly known as Colony Capital. He has stepped down from
former roles as the firm's chief executive and executive
chairman in the past two years.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Alexandra
Hudson)
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