Carlos De Oliveira
MIAMI — The Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, charged in a new indictment alongside Donald Trump in the alleged mishandling of classified government documents after the former president left office was unable to enter a plea in court on Monday after being unable to secure a Florida-based lawyer.
The judge read the four charges against De Oliveira and his rights before setting the signature bond at $100,000. Because De Oliveira has not secured local counsel to represent him in Florida, he was asked to return for his arraignment next month.
“We’re working on ascertaining local counsel,” Irving told NBC News ahead of the hearing. The defense had asked for more time to secure counsel for De Oliveira before agreeing to return on Aug. 10 before a judge in Fort Pierce, about an hour north of where De Oliveira lives.
“the boss wanted the server deleted.”
Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres also ordered De Oliveira not to discuss the case with potential witnesses except through counsel, and prosecutors provided the defendant with a list of names. Trump and Nauta also were given a similar condition for their release. In addition, Torres said De Oliveira cannot travel outside south Florida without permission.
De Oliveira has worked at Mar-a-Lago for more than 20 years, CNN has reported. He became property manager of the club in January 2022, according to the indictment, and previously served as a valet and maintenance worker.
Several people close to Trump, as well as people who know De Oliveira personally, told CNN that De Oliveira is not in Trump’s inner circle. Eight current and former Trump aides and allies who frequently visited Mar-a-Lago described De Oliveira as a maintenance worker who did odd jobs around the club and who did not frequently interact with club members or Trump’s team.
‘The family feels like he got trapped’: How a low-profile Mar-a-Lago employee got tangled up in Trump’s legal problems
In conversations with eight current and former Trump aides and allies who frequently visited Mar-a-Lago, De Oliveira, who is listed as the “Property Manager” in the indictment, was described as a maintenance worker who did odd jobs around the property and who did not frequently interact with club members or Trump’s team.
De Oliveria was certainly not privy to internal deliberations or high-level conversations prior to the special counsel’s investigation, these people said.
“I’ve never heard of that person,” one former Trump aide who frequently traveled to Mar-a-lago with the former President told CNN when asked about De Oliveira. Those comments were echoed by other sources close to Trump who told CNN that prior to Thursday’s indictment, they had never heard of De Oliveira.
“I don’t know him, never met him, and hadn’t heard his name before this,” said a Trump ally who still frequently visits the resort.
