LEV PARNAS

Prosecutors accused Parnas of using other people's money to pose as a powerful political broker and cozy up to some of the nation's star Republican political figures.

Parnas and another business associate Igor Fruman were arrested in 2019 while trying to board an international flight with one-way tickets.

Parnas, a onetime associate of Rudy Giuliani, is accused along with a co-defendant of making illegal campaign contributions. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — A New York jury convicted a former associate of Rudy Giuliani on Friday of charges that he made illegal campaign contributions to influence U.S. politicians and advance his business interests. Parnas, 49, a Soviet-born Florida businessman, insisted through his lawyer that he never used the Russian’s money for political donations. A co-defendant in the case, Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin, was convicted of being part of the effort to use Muraviev’s money for political contributions. Giuliani has insisted that he knew nothing about potentially illegal campaign contributions by either Parnas or Fruman.

A New York jury has convicted a former associate of Rudy Giuliani of charges that he made illegal campaign contributions to influence U.S. politicians and advance his business interests.

A New York jury convicted a former associate of Rudy Giuliani on Friday of charges that he made illegal campaign contributions to influence U.S. politicians and advance his business interests. The verdict was returned in Manhattan federal court, where Lev Parnas was on trial for more than two weeks as prosecutors accused him of using other people’s money to pose as a powerful political broker and cozy up to some of the nation’s star Republican political figures. One part of the case alleged that Parnas and an associate made illegal donations through a corporate entity to Republican political committees in 2018, including a $325,000 donation to America First Action, a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump.

Lev Parnas played a role in the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump, having helped Rudy Giuliani in an effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine.

Giuliani Associates Indictment Lev Parnas walks past criminal court, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, in New York. Parnas, a onetime associate of Rudy Giuliani, is accused along with a co-defendant of making illegal campaign contributions. A defense attorney countered by telling the New York City jury that the government failed to prove its case against Lev Parnas. Parnas made a series of straw donations despite being “told again and again that he couldn’t donate somebody else’s money,” Scotten said. They connected Giuliani with Ukrainian officials as the former New York City mayor tried to get that country to open an investigation into the future president’s son, Hunter.

Giuliani Associates Indictment Lev Parnas walks past criminal court, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, in New York. Parnas, a onetime associate of Rudy Giuliani, is accused along with a co-defendant of making illegal campaign contributions. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — An associate of Rudy Giuliani hatched a scheme to funnel $1 million in funds from a wealthy Russian financier into U.S. elections knowing full well he was breaking campaign finance laws, a prosecutor said Thursday during closing arguments at a federal trial. Parnas made a series of straw donations despite being “told again and again that he couldn’t donate somebody else’s money,” Scotten said. The defendant lied to the financier, Andrey Muraviev, about how much he was actually donating, the prosecutor said.

A prosecutor has told jurors at the trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani that the defendant hatched a scheme to funnel $1 million in funds from a wealthy Russian financier into U.S. elections.

Giuliani Associates Indictment Lev Parnas walks past criminal court, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, in New York. Parnas, a onetime associate of Rudy Giuliani, is accused along with a co-defendant of making illegal campaign contributions. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — An associate of Rudy Giuliani told a federal judge Wednesday that he will not testify at his own trial on charges alleging he used a Russian financier’s money to make donations to U.S. political candidates. Judge J. Paul Oetken told jurors to return Thursday for closing arguments in the two-week-old trial. After prosecutors finished their case Tuesday, defense lawyers asked the judge to conclude the government had failed to prove the charges.

An associate of Rudy Giuliani has told a federal judge that he will not testify at his own trial.

Parnas was sometimes with Giuliani in 2018 as he helped Trump’s then-personal lawyer try to persuade Ukrainian officials to investigate Biden’s son. Laxalt testified from inside a see-through, air-protected box that enabled him to remove his mask while most others in the courtroom, including jurors, remained masked to protect against the coronavirus. Parnas said he “could raise a couple hundred thousand dollars,” some of it through a fundraiser he'd stage, Laxalt testified. Finally, a $10,000 check from “Global Energy Producers” arrived and a lawyer advised the campaign to reject it, Laxalt testified. On cross examination by attorney Joseph Bondy, who represents Parnas, Laxalt did not dispute Bondy's claims that he might have referred to Parnas as “a novice, clownish or odd."

Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt testified at a trial Friday, describing how his enthusiastic pursuit of big contributions from a Rudy Giuliani associate he met at a Trump hotel during his 2018 run for governor ended with a $10,000 check he had to reject. Adam Laxalt, 43, now a 2022 candidate for U.S. Senate, was repeatedly shown text messages he exchanged with Florida businessman Lev Parnas as he followed up with what he thought was a well connected man who could possibly raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaign. Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin are facing charges that they conspired to use over $100,000 of a $1 million investment from a Russian financier to fund politicians they thought could advance their business interests, including in an energy company and in the fledgling legal marijuana industry in the West.

Opening trial begins for Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giulliani, involving illegal donations to influence to U.S. politicians.

Opening trial begins for Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giulliani, involving illegal donations to influence to U.S. politicians.

Giuliani Associates Indictment Lev Parnas leaves the courthouse in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. A jury was selected for the trial of Parnas, a onetime associate of Rudy Giuliani who is accused along with a co-defendant of making illegal campaign contributions. As it turns out, only about $100,000 of the $1 million ever made it into the hands of U.S. politicians, prosecutors say. Giuliani is not charged in the case, and prosecutors haven’t alleged that he knew anything about illegal campaign contributions. Giuliani has maintained anything he did was in his capacity as a personal attorney to then-President Donald Trump.

A prosecutor opened the trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani by accusing him of trying to use up to $1 million from a Russian financier to infiltrate U.S. elections.

Jury selection begins for Soviet-born Florida businessman Lev Parnas and Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin.

Jury selection begins for Soviet-born Florida businessman Lev Parnas and Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin.

Parnas and another defendant are charged with violating campaign finance laws by funneling donations from a rich Russian financier to GOP candidates. They connected Giuliani with Ukrainian officials as the former New York City mayor tried to get that country to open an investigation into the future president's son, Hunter. Federal prosecutors in New York City, however, have made it clear that anyone looking for the trial to produce new, damaging information about Trump or Giuliani will be disappointed. With the Ukraine allegations gone, the trial is expected to focus on charges that Parnas exceeded limits on personal campaign contributions by disguising the origin of the money. With Parnas under indictment in 2020, Bondy began tweeting photos of his client with Giuliani and Republican lawmakers with the hashtag #LetLevSpeak.

A businessman who once pitched himself as someone who could expose corruption in the Trump Administration over its dealings in Ukraine is facing trial in New York City.

A Rudy Giuliani associate facing trial next week in New York City for allegedly making illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians is too poor to pay for his own lodging and transportation, a judge ruled Monday. Judge J. Paul Oetken ordered taxpayers to pick up the tab for Lev Parnas’ hotel room and put the U.S. Marshals Service on the hook for getting him to New York in time for the Oct. 12 trial. Parnas, a Soviet-born Florida businessman, and Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin are accused of a scheme to make illegal campaign donations to local and federal politicians in New York, Nevada and other states in an effort to win support for a new recreational marijuana business.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken rejected a request by lawyers for Parnas and Kukushkin to postpone next month's trial until February.

The October illegal campaign contribution trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani and a guilty plea set to occur this week by a second associate puts a spotlight on him as a government probe of the former mayor continues.

Fruman and three others were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy, campaign-finance violations, false statements, and falsifying records.

The judge presiding over an upcoming trial of two associates of Rudy Giuliani and a third man on charges they made illegal campaign contributions said Thursday he’d be shocked if Giuliani’s recently confiscated phones aid a selective prosecution claim he's already rejected. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken commented as attorney Joseph Bondy pressed for assurances that prosecutors will let defense lawyers know if any phone data would help the defense of Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman and Andrey Kukushkin. At one point at a pretrial hearing, the Manhattan judge asked Bondy if he thought a phone might contain something from former Attorney General William Barr saying Parnas should be arrested “because he's going to turn against Trump even though he's a big Trump supporter now.”

These college graduates will be part of historic commencement ceremonies.

Personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump denies wrongdoing; Giuliani claims he never represented foreign nationals

A long-running federal investigation into Rudy Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine has moved back into public view after federal agents seized electronic devices from the former New York mayor.

Rudy Giuliani sought to discredit the federal investigation into his dealings in Ukraine a day after agents raided his home and office.

The full scope of the investigation is unclear, but it at least partly involves Giuliani's Ukraine dealings, the officials said. AdThe Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people who lobby on behalf of a foreign government or entity to register with the Justice Department. AdThe Justice Department requires that applications for search warrants served on lawyers be approved by senior department officials. Giuliani's attorney Robert J. Costello told The Associated Press he has “heard nothing” from federal prosecutors concerning Giuliani. Giuliani has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations and hadn’t seen any evidence that Parnas and Fruman did anything wrong.

A defamation lawsuit Rep. Nunes brought against CNN was tossed out by a Manhattan judge on Friday, Feb. 19. Scott Applewhite, File)NEW YORK – A defamation lawsuit U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes brought against CNN was tossed out by a Manhattan judge on Friday. The Nunes lawsuit said Parnas was telling lies to try to get immunity. In court papers, CNN lawyers said Nunes and his staff had declined to comment prior to publication on whether Nunes had met with a Ukrainian prosecutor. "In his rush to sue, however, Rep. Nunes overlooked the need first to request a retraction."

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2019, file photo, David Correia walks from federal court in New York. David Correia, 45, was sentenced remotely by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan. In court papers, Correia largely blamed his slide into criminal behavior on his association with Parnas. The Securities and Exchange Commission said when it recently filed civil charges related to the fraud that Correia lives in West Palm Beach. Prosecutors have not alleged Giuliani did anything wrong and he was only referenced in court papers and at the sentencing as “Attorney-1."

His lawyer asked in papers filed last week that Correia serve no prison time. In court papers, Giuliani was identified as “Attorney-1," a lawyer who was assisting the company in exchange for a $500,000 fee. AdThe investor told Correia that if Giuliani “wasn’t part of this thing, I probably wouldn’t do it. Correia promised the investor that Giuliani would help with compliance and regulatory issues, advertising and marketing, and several other deliverables, prosecutors wrote. Correia said Giuliani also agreed that the company could “use his likeness to be the ‘face of the company’ (should we choose) for commercials, advertisements, etc.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges against the associate of Rudy Giuliani, who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden's son. Trump’s efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens led the House to impeach him, though he was later acquitted by the Senate. When Parnas was arrested in October 2019, Democrats in the U.S. House were seeking his testimony about his involvement with Giuliani's Ukrainian effort. Giuliani, a Republican, has said he knew nothing about illegal campaign donations. In his legal filing Tuesday, Bondy didn't offer evidence that there had been any interference by the White House in the campaign fraud investigation, which was overseen by prosecutors in New York.

NEW YORK – A change-of-plea hearing is set for Thursday for a man charged with conspiring with associates of Rudy Giuliani, one of President Donald Trump's lawyers, to make illegal campaign contributions. The hearing for David Correia, scheduled to occur by video, was announced in a filing Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. In September, an updated indictment charged Correia and co-defendant Lev Parnas with defrauding investors in a business called Fraud Guarantee. Parnas and Correia also hired Giuliani, a Republican former New York City mayor, to consult with Fraud Guarantee. Last month, one of his lawyers asked to leave the case and said Correia hadn’t paid him.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges against the associate of Rudy Giuliani, who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden's son. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors brought new wire fraud charges Thursday against an associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who was involved in attempts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Lev Parnas and his business partner, David Correia, were charged with defrauding investors in a business called Fraud Guarantee. Parnas and Correia also hired Giuliani to consult with Fraud Guarantee. Gucciardo's attorney previously said that the $500,000 was intended to be an investment in Fraud Guarantee.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The trial of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two associates of U.S. President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for alleged campaign finance violations will likely be delayed until after Novembers presidential election because of the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas speaks to the media after a hearing at the Manhattan Federal Court in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., February 3, 2020. He also said the restrictions have made it harder for Parnas and Fruman to prepare their defenses. The Ukraine-born Parnas and Belarus-born Fruman were charged over their alleged use of a shell company to make an illegal $325,000 donation to a committee supporting Trumps re-election. A trial may last two to three weeks.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge set an Oct. 5 trial date for Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two associates of President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, setting the stage for more information to emerge about their alleged campaign finance violations before Novembers presidential election. FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas, an associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, exits after a bail hearing at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York, U.S., December 17, 2019. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 51-49 on Friday against calling witnesses at the impeachment trial, clearing the way for Trumps likely acquittal. Since his arrest, Parnas has assumed a high public profile, giving interviews and showing up in Washington on Wednesday to attend the impeachment trial. Parnas is wearing an ankle bracelet, and was denied entry because electronics are forbidden in the Senate visitors gallery.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A secretly recorded video released on Thursday shows U.S. President Donald Trump associating with Lev Parnas, the indicted businessman who says he worked to pressure Ukraine to investigate one of Trumps Democratic political rivals. The two recordings show that the Republican president was at private events with Parnas twice in just 10 days in 2018. At the end of the recording, he poses for photos with his guests, including Parnas. Bondy released a recording last Saturday of a dinner with Trump on April 30, 2018, in which Trump discusses Ukraine with Parnas and orders that the then-ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, be fired. Parnas is seeking leniency as he faces federal charges for allegedly funneling money to a pro-Trump election committee.

The letter said the White House would be in touch with Boltons lawyer with detailed guidance for manuscript revisions. The Senate is expected to acquit Trump but allowing witnesses such as Bolton could inflict political damage on the Republican president as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3. A Bolton spokeswoman had no comment on the White House letter. REUTERS/Mary F. CalvertTrump added that Bolton, who left his White House post in September, goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. Parnas indicated willingness to testify in the trial, adding, The president knew everything that was going on with Ukraine.

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives at the U.S. Capitol for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mary F. CalvertThe U.S. Senate on Wednesday enters a new phase in the trial that will determine whether Trump is removed from office. The questioning precedes a vote later in the week on whether to call witnesses including Bolton, as Democrats have sought. The Senate is expected to acquit Trump but allowing witnesses such as Bolton could inflict political damage on the Republican president as he seeks re-election on Nov.3. Trump has denied telling Bolton he sought to use the aid as leverage to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch leaves the hearing room after testifying in the House Select Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. A newly surfaced recording contains audio of President Donald Trump demanding that former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch be fired, ABC News reported Friday. A lawyer for Fruman did not respond to a request for comment, and Parnas' lawyer, Joe Bondy, confirmed that the tape did not come from Parnas. Yovanovitch said that corrupt Ukrainian officials and Trump associates, including Giuliani, had orchestrated a "smear campaign" against her.

House impeachment managers submitted a 100-page brief Saturday arguing that the case for removing President Trump from office is clear. "President Trump's misconduct presents a danger to our democratic processes, our national security, and our commitment to the rule of law. Attorneys Robert Ray, Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz will also be on the president's trial legal team. Sources close to the president's legal team held a conference call with reporters Saturday afternoon to discuss the legal team's strategy. After the Senate votes on the rules, the impeachment managers and the president's lawyers will present their arguments to the Senate.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department will do everything it needs to do to determine if former U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was under threat in Ukraine, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview on Friday. They also showed Parnas was also involved in monitoring Yovanovitchs movements before Trump removed her in May. Yovanovitch was a key witness in the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment investigation of Trump last fall. I suspect that much of whats been reported will ultimately prove wrong, but our obligation, my obligation as Secretary of State, is to make sure that we evaluate, investigate. Yovanovitch testified she had received a late night call from Washington warning her that she needed to return to the United States urgently and that there were concerns about her safety.

Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, talks with her attorney and supporters after concluding her testimony before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department will do everything it needs to do to determine if former U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was under threat in Ukraine, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview on Friday,Documents released this week indicated Lev Parnas, a Ukraine-born U.S. citizen, helped U.S. President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani investigate presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. They also showed Parnas was also involved in monitoring Yovanovitchs movements before Trump removed her in May. Pompeo also said in the same interview that he has never met or communicated with Parnas.

Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, claimed in an interview that aired Thursday that President Donald Trump fired, or believed he fired, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine several times before her recall was publicly announced in April. "He fired her probably, at least to my knowledge at least four, five times," Parnas said in the second part of an interview on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," according to a transcript. "I don't know how many times at that dinner, once or twice, three times, but he fired her several times at that dinner," Parnas said, speaking of Trump. Parnas said Trump was directing the State Department to fire Yovanovitch, and the department was refusing to do it. Giuliani said in interviews last month that Yovanovitch was an obstacle to getting Ukraine to announce the investigations he said Trump desired.

As the Senate is sworn in ahead of the President Trump's impeachment trial, the former businessman's luxurious Trump International in D.C. is under scrutiny. “It was like a breeding ground at the Trump hotel,” Parnas said. “Every event would be there, so everybody would hang out there afterwards, all the meetings would be there.”The lobby is a magnet for Trump supporters. “I walk in and the bartenders start chatting, the manager will come over and start talking to me,” he told Inside Edition. RELATED STORIESMan Burned Trying to Set Fire to Himself in Protest Outside Trump HotelInside the Moscow Hotel at Center of Unsubstantiated Intelligence Report Concerning Donald TrumpDirty Bathrobe at Trump's New Hotel Not Washed Between Guests, Investigation Finds

Ambassador to Ukraine, arrives back from a break in the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump in Longworth Building on Friday, November 15, 2019. Among the documents were messages from a Republican congressional candidate in Connecticut named Robert Hyde, who suggested that he was monitoring Yovanovitch in Ukraine. Trump himself had asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to "look into" the Bidens in a July 25 phone call that eventually helped launch the impeachment probe. Hunter Biden had served on the board of Ukraine natural gas company Burisma Holdings while his father was vice president. Hyde, in a Sinclair Media interview that aired Wednesday, denied having eyes on Yovanovitch, claiming, "I thought we were playing."

For decades, natural gas has been the essential commodity in Ukraine's struggle for independence from its former Soviet-era masters in Moscow. Russia controls one of the world's largest supplies of natural gas, which Ukraine and much of Europe rely upon. Perry, in a keynote address at the CERAWeek 2019 conference, predicted that U.S. capacity to export natural gas would expand 150% this year. But a top diplomatic priority of the trip was expediting U.S. natural gas exports to Eastern Europe. The dream of their gas deal died when Parnas and Fruman were arrested in October on campaign finance charges.

For decades, natural gas has been the essential commodity in Ukraine's struggle for independence from its former Soviet-era masters in Moscow. Russia controls one of the world's largest supplies of natural gas, which Ukraine and much of Europe rely upon. Perry, in a keynote address at the CERAWeek 2019 conference, predicted that U.S. capacity to export natural gas would expand 150% this year. But a top diplomatic priority of the trip was expediting U.S. natural gas exports to Eastern Europe. The dream of their gas deal died when Parnas and Fruman were arrested in October on campaign finance charges.

For decades, natural gas has been the essential commodity in Ukraine's struggle for independence from its former Soviet-era masters in Moscow. Russia controls one of the world's largest supplies of natural gas, which Ukraine and much of Europe rely upon. Perry, in a keynote address at the CERAWeek 2019 conference, predicted that U.S. capacity to export natural gas would expand 150% this year. But a top diplomatic priority of the trip was expediting U.S. natural gas exports to Eastern Europe. The dream of their gas deal died when Parnas and Fruman were arrested in October on campaign finance charges.

Lev Parnas and wife Svetlana Parnas arrive at federal court on December 2, 2019 in New York City. Federal prosecutors on Monday said they are "likely" to file new criminal charges in a pending case involving associates of Rudy Giuliani, the personal lawyer of President Donald Trump. Giuliani has not been charged in connection with the case. That material includes records from phones, banks and the Internet obtained from witnesses and companies related to the charges. Parnas' lawyer Joseph Bondy requested that the court loosen Parnas' tight bail conditions.

Here are the stories you shouldnt miss today:TOP STORIESThe Nunes QuestionCongress is on a Thanksgiving break, but developments in the historic public impeachment hearings against President Trump continue to unfold. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. Newsletter Get our Today's Headlines newsletter SubscribeOUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND In mid-September, columnist Steve Lopez hailed a cab and met cabbie Oganes Papazyan. (Los Angeles Times)CALIFORNIA The only child to survive a San Diego murder-suicide that claimed the lives of his parents and his three brothers has died, according to a family member. Six people who had fallen ill aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship that was docked at the Port of Los Angeles were evaluated by paramedics as they disembarked, authorities say.

The attorney for an indicted associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer says his client is willing to tell Congress that Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., met with Ukraine's former top prosecutor about investigating the activities of Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. As vice president, Joe Biden joined a chorus of global pressure for Ukraine to fire then-state prosecutor Victor Shokin. Shokin himself claims he was fired at the behest of the former vice president to ease pressure on Burisma and Hunter Biden. Joseph A. Bondy, an attorney for Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, confirmed that his client was willing to testify before Congress that Nunes met with Shokin. On Wednesday, the Daily Beast reported that Parnas himself helped to arrange meetings in Europe last year for Nunes.

According to the, Ballard Partners and the two fundraisers have worked to varying extents with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. The men, associates of Giuliani, have been charged with funneling foreign money to several Republican politicians and groups. Ballard Partners paid Parnas at least $22,500 for referring business from the Turkish government, the Times report said.Ballard Partners is cooperating with a United States attorneys office for the Southern District of New York investigation. The Times report suggested that federal authorities are seeking to learn more about how Parnas and Fruman gained access to major Republican donor circles. The involvement of Parnas and Fruman in Florida politics has been in the spotlight since their arrest last month.

At least six campaigns said the tainted money will be, or has already been, donated to charity. CNN heard from nine of the 26 Republican lawmakers who directly received money from Parnas or Fruman about the allocation of these funds. The other campaigns and committees could not be reached for comment or did not respond to requests from CNN. A spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told CNN that he will reroute the money to a "local charity." McCarthy, who is the highest-ranking Republican in the House, received the maximum donation of $2,700 from Parnas in 2018, according to the FEC.

At another time, they convinced a Florida-based businessman to loan them $100,000 so they could connect him with Giuliani and other prominent conservatives. "They didn't find any reason why we shouldn't take their money," said the Republican with knowledge of the matter. Search for cashIt wasn't the only time Parnas and Fruman tried to use their connections to Giuliani to push for cash. Among his alleged troubles, one source said, was that he needed money to pay Giuliani to be a spokesperson for one of Parnas' companies. While questions in Washington swirl around Shokin's role in this controversy, Giuliani, Parnas, Fruman had specific plans for the former Ukrainian official up until the day of their arrest.

A lawyer for Parnas, Ed MacMahon, responded by suggesting that some of the communications could be protected by attorney-client and even executive privilege since his client was doing work for Giuliani while Giuliani was representing the president. Outside court, Parnas who like Fruman wore an American flag lapel pin to court told reporters that he would fight to clear his name. Prosecutors say Parnas, 47, and Fruman, 53, made the donations while lobbying U.S. politicians to oust the country's ambassador to Ukraine. Trump's efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens are now the subject of a House impeachment inquiry. The four defendants are U.S. citizens, but Kukushkin and Parnas were born in Ukraine and Fruman in Belarus.

Two associates of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan to criminal charges related to an allegedly illegal donation to a Trump-linked PAC and other actions. That effort and Trump's pressuring of Ukraine to investigate Biden is at the center of an ongoing impeachment inquiry into Trump. The lawyer, Edward McMahon, said that possiblity exists because of the fact that Parnas worked with Giuliani, and because Trump also has had interactions with Giuliani. During the same month they donated the money to the Trump PAC, Parnas posted photos on Facebook of himself and Fruman with Trump, as well as with Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. Fruman and Parnas' co-defendants, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, were arraigned last week and pleaded not guilty to a single conspiracy count.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry faces a deadline Friday to comply with a congressional subpoena as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry. Perry, Parnas, Fruman and Giuliani have all been subpoenaed by House Democrats for information relating to the impeachment inquiry. Furthermore, potential changes at the Ukrainian energy giant could have major geopolitical implications. (Dale Perry and Rick Perry are unrelated). Perry said Parnas and Fruman also brought up Ukrainian businessman Dymtro Firtash, who has served as the main intermediary between Naftogaz and Gazprom.

Two men accused of an illegal political finance scheme with two associates of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in New York. Fruman and Parnas did not appear at Thursday's arraignment. Trump faces possible impeachment for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden while he was withholding military aid to the Ukraine. Afer Thursday's hearing, Kukushkin was released on bail of $100,000 cash, and additional security from $900,000 worth of real estate. Kukushkin and Correia are accused of using money from a Russian national to influence politicians in their effort to launch a recreational marijuana business in Nevada.

A Soviet-born South Florida businessman arrested last week on federal campaign-finance charges seemed just like any other donor, Gov. DeSantis was among Florida Republican candidates who received contributions during the 2018 election cycle from Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were arrested on campaign-finance charges involving the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action. Similar to DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., announced he was turning over to the federal treasury the $2,433 his campaign received from Global Energy Producers. Florida Democrats have seized on the developments to try to link the arrested men to DeSantis. Ron DeSantis has a lot of questions to answer about his relationships with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Juan Penalosa said in a statement Tuesday.

The counterintelligence part of the investigation indicates that FBI and criminal prosecutors in Manhattan are looking at a broader set of issues related to Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, than has been previously reported. McCallion says FBI counterintelligence agents in February or March asked questions about some of Giuliani's Ukrainian business dealings. "I was just asked whether I or any of my clients knew of any dealings that these two guys had with Giuliani," McCallion said. The indictment announced last week centers on ties between the Giuliani associates and foreigners, including a Russian national with whom they did business. Giuliani has said he is unaware of any criminal investigation into his business dealings.

Correia, Igor Fruman, Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin are due in court Thursday for their arraignment. He was charged as part of a scheme to funnel money from someone described as a Russian national into US elections. Parnas, Fruman and Kukushkin were arrested last week when the charges were announced. Parnas and Fruman worked with Giuliani and introduced him to Ukrainian prosecutors who Giuliani claims provided negative information about Trump's political rival Joe Biden. That PAC spent over $3 million to back Sessions in the 2018 campaign, but he went on to lose his seat.

Former Texas Congressman Pete Sessions has been tied to the Rudolph Giuliani associates arrested in Washington, but denies knowledge of their activities. WASHINGTON, D.C. - A grand jury has subpoenaed former Republican Rep. Pete Sessions on matters connected to President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, two Giuliani associates' dealings with Ukraine and efforts to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The second source refused to rule out that Sessions himself is not a target of the grand jury investigation, saying instead that the investigation has "not reached definitive conclusions." Mackowiak declined to specifically comment on reports that Sessions had received a grand jury subpoena for documents related to Giuliani's Ukraine dealings and his communications with Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman. Giuliani said Saturday that he's not aware he's under investigation for his involvement in the unraveling Ukraine scandal.