An adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) family is disputing a report that federal authorities empaneled a grand jury in connection with a long-running investigation into a 2010 land deal orchestrated by his wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders.
In a story published Sunday, VTDigger.org reported that the probe had progressed to the point that federal prosecutors had convened a grand jury — a step the news outlet suggested meant the feds were seeking indictments. Authorities have spent two years investigating whether, during O’Meara Sanders’ tenure as president of Burlington College, the now-defunct institution overstated pledged donations to secure a bank loan.
Former Burlington College board member Robin Lloyd told VTDigger that she testified before a grand jury last October at the federal courthouse in Burlington. She said that Paul Van de Graaf, who heads the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, questioned her for an hour about the college’s attempts to secure pledges to buy a $10 million campus.
In a statement issued to Seven Days following publication of the VTDigger story, Sanders family spokesman Jeff Weaver cast doubt on it.
“We have absolutely no reason to believe that there is a grand jury empaneled to examine Burlington College, Jane Sanders, or any aspect of Dr. Sanders’ service as president of Burlington College,” said Weaver, who has previously served as the senator’s chief of staff and campaign manager. “As best we can tell, the current news reports are simply recycling an account of a government interview of a witness from several months ago. Nothing new here.”
In an interview with Seven Days late Sunday, Lloyd provided more context as to why she may have been summoned before a grand jury. She said that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents showed up at her Burlington home early last October to question her about Burlington College.
“The first time two FBI guys came around I said I would only talk to them with my lawyer,” Lloyd said. “Of course, I didn’t have a lawyer at that point. So I did get a lawyer, but I didn’t call them back. So then the next visit was this subpoena to appear before the grand jury.”
Lloyd said she and her attorney, Charlotte Dennett, met with Van de Graaf and then appeared before a grand jury on Thursday, October 26 — roughly two weeks after the FBI agents showed up at her door.
She told Seven Days she was not sure whether prosecutors had empaneled a grand jury specifically to hear evidence in the Burlington College matter, as VTDigger reported. A standing grand jury meets most Thursdays in the Burlington courthouse and can be used to gather evidence and interview witnesses in ongoing investigations.
Lloyd said she did not know whether she was compelled to appear before the grand jury simply because she had declined to speak with the FBI or if prosecutors were, in fact, seeking indictments. The VTDigger piece quoted no other sources claiming to have addressed a grand jury.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Vermont office did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Sunday.
Update, January 8, 2017, at 6:58 a.m.: Following publication of Seven Days’ story Sunday night, VTDigger corrected its report to remove multiple references to the empanelment of a grand jury. The online news outlet changed its original headline, “Grand jury empaneled in Burlington College case,” to a new one, “UPDATED: Grand jury takes sworn testimony in Burlington College case.” VTDigger removed at least two other uses of the word “empaneled” from the story and added the statement Weaver provided Seven Days. The new version of VTDigger’s story includes an editor’s note at the beginning saying that it had been “updated.” At the end, it says it was also corrected.
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It’s probably best not to rely on Jeff Weaver. He claimed to have been a Marine for years when he has never been any such thing.
Seven Days, the authorities have not spent two years investigating the BC deal. They’ve investigated the BC deal on and off over the past two years. There’s a substantial difference in commitment and time, and I doubt that the FBI has had one person spending his or her entire time over the past two years investigating the case.
Robin Lloyd was compelled by the FBI testify about it, as recently as October 2017. I think it’s fair to say the investigation is still continuing!
Nothing to see here people……….move along.
“Sanders Family Disputes Report of Escalating Burlington College Probe”
And Trump insists there was no collusion with Russia, that he is not under investigation, and that the Russia investigation is a hoax.
Totally confusing story.
Either a grand jury is considering the case or not.
Weaver claims not.
And now the original report from Digger is backpeddling?
7D needs to clarify the existence or not of a grant jury.
A course Weaver is going to say that, he’s being paid to cover up the lies, the sneaky deals, the fraud work of old Janey with donation pledges that she changed for Burlington College for a bank loan !! The so-called senior political advisor to her husband former US presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders .the one who funnel money from BC to her daughter’s woodworking school. That whole family should be investigated and charged..and sent to prison !!!
There is a concerted effort on the part of the federal government to destroy anyone who poses a threat to them. Bernie does just that and they will try to go after him, just like they did Al Franken. These people will attempt anything in order to camouflage their own evil, insidious machinations and manipulations. Did Jane Sanders make some big mistakes? Probably. Are or were they criminal? I doubt it, but those who want to destroy one of the most eloquent voices of reason and sanity in government will seemingly seize on anything to do so.
Christopher Hill, so you believe corruption is OK, as long as it can’t be proven in a court of law, or the corruption is perpetuated by someone you agree with politically.
to the person who wrote this, please watch his video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQlZyQBXlaY