Ex-Barrack Aide Loses Bid to Remove Ankle Bracelet After Complaining It Interferes With Surfing

(Bloomberg) -- Tom Barrack’s ex-assistant, who complained that wearing an ankle bracelet interfered with his surfing and tennis, lost his legal bid to remove the GPS tracking device while he awaits trial with his former boss on charges of acting as unregistered foreign agents.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan on Tuesday rejected a request by Matthew Grimes, 28, to modify his bail conditions. Grimes attorney Abbe Lowell had said in court papers that his client can’t immerse the device in water, that it was embarrassing to wear, and it impeded his search for new employment. 

“It seemed to me the purposes you’re offering are not all that compelling,” the judge said in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. 

The evidence against Grimes is “overwhelming” because he was “a central actor essential to the success of the illicit foreign influence campaign,” according to prosecutors, who warned the judge that he is subject by pressure by Barrack and the foreign leaders they are accused of helping. Lowell insisted that the chance of Grimes fleeing his Southern California home is remote. 

But Cogan said “the circumstances of this case are so unique” that removing the bracelet “doesn’t warrant taking that degree of risk.” 

Despite rejecting the ankle monitor request, the judge agreed with other bail modifications. He let Grimes travel domestically if he gives prior notice, lifted a curfew, and increased the amount he can spend without giving prior notice to $100,000 from $10,000.

Barrack, founder of Colony Capital Inc. and a former top fundraiser for Donald Trump, was charged in July with illegally lobbying for the United Arab Emirates, as well as obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials during a 2019 interview. Grimes also was charged with illegal lobbying. Both have pleaded not guilty and deny wrongdoing.

‘Directly Interacted’

Prosecutors feared that Grimes had “directly interacted with extremely wealthy, powerful foreign powers,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris. Those foreign officials “could ensure that he was able to get away and his family could be made whole,” Harris said. 

Cogan asked if prosecutors had intelligence that “there has been any discussion or chatter about interfering with this trial?” 

Harris said he was not in a position to answer. 

“You don’t know or you can’t say?” the judge asked. 

“I don’t think I can in a public setting, and I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Harris said. 

The case will also involve sealed hearings about evidence protected under the Classified Information Procedures Act. 

Barrack stepped down as chief executive officer of Colony in 2020 and then as executive chairman earlier this year. The company has been renamed DigitalBridge Group Inc. In a July interview with Bloomberg TV, Barrack said he was starting a new family office that would work with investors in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
 

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