A judge says a Russian man charged with hacking into US businesses will need better access to his lawyers than speaking to them through a glass wall.
US Magistrate Judge James Donohue said defendant Roman Seleznev has a constitutional right to an effective defence and ordered the defence and the prosecution to come up with a plan that allows both sides to do their jobs while respecting the prison's security concerns.
Seleznev, the son of a Russian MP, was arrested in the Maldives in July.
He was moved to Guam and then Seattle on charges that he hacked into businesses across the US and installed software that allowed him to steal credit card numbers.
He has pleaded not guilty.
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Seleznev's lawyers had complained that officials at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center would not let them meet face to face with their client, impeding their ability to provide a defence.
Assistant US Attorney Seth Wilkinson said security concerns for Seleznev increased after two missteps involving his lawyers and mobile phones.
In one instance, one of his previous lawyers was seen holding a phone up to Seleznev while he was in a courthouse holding cell.
Another time his lawyer carried a phone into the prison by mistake.
Wilkinson said Seleznev must stay in a room separate from his lawyers and talk through a glass wall.
They can pass documents by handing them to a guard in an envelope, he said.
