Key witness in US probe of Turkey's Halkbank avoids prison time

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters) - A key cooperating witness in the U.S. government's criminal investigation into Turkish state-run lender Halkbank's alleged role in helping Iran evade sanctions avoided prison time at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said he would sentence Reza Zarrab to time served at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors had urged the judge to take his cooperation with their case into account in determining his…