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By Mihir Zaveri
A federal judge on Sunday denied attempts by the former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos to delay the start of his two-week prison sentence, slated to begin on Monday.
Mr. Papadopoulos was sentenced in September for lying to the F.B.I. about his contacts with Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential race, lies that prosecutors said hampered the investigation into Russia’s interference in that election.
In a 13-page opinion, Judge Randolph D. Moss of United States District Court for the District of Columbia said on Sunday that the window for Mr. Papadopoulos to appeal his conviction had ended on Sept. 25, and that he had “failed to carry his burden of demonstrating that a delay in the execution of his sentence is warranted.”
Lawyers for Mr. Papadopoulos did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
Judge Moss dismissed a suggestion by Mr. Papadopoulos that his prison time should be delayed pending the resolution of a challenge to the appointment of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the investigation into Russian interference and whether there were any connections to the Trump campaign.
Lower courts have affirmed the validity of Mr. Mueller’s appointment.
Mr. Papadopoulos had suggested that the appeal could theoretically find Mr. Mueller’s appointment unlawful, and that, in turn, would result in his own conviction being set aside.
Judge Moss, however, said in the opinion on Sunday that Mr. Papadopoulos did not show that the appeal was likely to find Mr. Mueller’s appointment unlawful and, even if it did, such a finding was not likely to provide any new evidence that could set aside his conviction.
He also rejected what he characterized as Mr. Papadopolous’s “eleventh hour” request, filed on Nov. 21, to delay his sentence until he could further appeal any decision about the Mueller case.
The judge said it was filed on “the last business day before he was scheduled to surrender to serve his sentence.”
In court papers filed in August, prosecutors said that because Mr. Papadopoulos misled investigators, they failed to arrest a London-based professor who was suspected of being a Russian operative.
In an interview with The New York Times in September, Mr. Papadopoulos said he had lied in part because he wanted to distance himself “as much as possible — and Trump himself, and the campaign — from what was probably an illegal action or dangerous information.”
Mr. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. in October 2017.
Judge Moss had also fined Mr. Papadopoulos $9,500 and ordered him to complete 200 hours of community service and one year of probation after his release from custody.
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