Yeah, I realize this advice probably wouldn't have helped this particular guy that much - It was just strongly counter-intuitive to me that you can be framed as

Yeah, I realize this advice probably wouldn't have helped this particular guy that much - It was just strongly counter-intuitive to me that you can be framed as a felon for even trying to help an investigation. My FIL said something along the lines of "the best thing to say, if you can, is 'My attorney knows I'm here and he wants us to call him right away so we can start helping your investigation as quickly as possible.'" I don't know if that would have helped this guy or not. If they have you bound and gagged in some third world country, maybe all bets are off.