US prosecutor is in the spotlight _ in Turkey
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2015 file photo, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara speaks during a news conference in New York. Bharara’s Twitter following soared after he tweeted Tuesday, March 22, 2016, about the arrest of Reza Zarrab, a controversial Iranian-Turkish businessman. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) (The Associated Press)
A New York federal prosecutor has become a big name in Turkey after the arrest of a prominent Iranian-Turkish businessman.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's (bah-RAH'-rah) Twitter following soared from several thousand to over a quarter-million after he tweeted Tuesday about Reza Zarrab's arrest. Bharara has since fielded many messages, including one offering shish kebab and other Turkish items.
Bharara replied that he couldn't accept gifts, in his words, "just for doing my job."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 33-year-old Zarrab is charged with conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran by processing financial transactions for Iranian businesses or Iran's government. He was arrested March 19. Zarrab's lawyer hasn't responded to messages.
Zarrab was arrested in a complicated Turkish government corruption case in 2013. He maintained his innocence, and the charges were dropped.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This story has been corrected to show that Bharara tweeted about Zarrab's arrest on Tuesday, not that Zarrab's arrest occurred on Tuesday. The arrest itself was March 19.