Former Giuliani aide convicted for violating U.S. election laws | Donald Trump News

Lev Parnas was found guilty of donating money to a group that supported former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

New York jury found guilty Lev Panas,ex colleague Rudy Giuliani He was accused of making illegal campaign contributions to influence American politicians and promote his own business interests.

The case was ruled on Friday, accusing Parnas and an accomplice Illegal donation In 2018, a corporate entity made donations to the Republican Political Committee, including a donation of US$325,000 to the First Action of the United States that supported former President Donald Trump’s super PAC.

Giuliani served as Trump’s personal lawyer.

Another part of the case stated that Parnas used the wealth of Russian financier Andrei Muraviev to donate money to American politicians, ostensibly to support the development of legal recreational marijuana businesses.

Parnas, 49, was convicted of all crimes.

This case provides an important glimpse into the inner workings of U.S. political fundraising [Carlo Allegri/Reuters]

Due to the role of Panas and Belarusian-born American citizens, the trial has attracted attention Igor Frumman Helped Giuliani (who served as a personal lawyer during Trump’s tenure) to investigate Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Biden won the election, denying Trump the second semester.

The Manhattan Federal Court case also gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of American political fundraising.

“You saw Muraviyev’s telegram,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Scott told the jury in his closing statement on Thursday. “You saw how this money came out from the other side, into the U.S. election, where the defendants thought they bought influence to promote their business.”

Parnas’ defense attorneys countered that Muraviev’s funds were used for business investment, not campaign donations, and that the donations to the pro-Trump Group came from a company founded by Parnas, which was not illegal.

In his closing statement, Parnas’ attorney Joseph Bondy described his client as an enthusiastic supporter of marijuana legalization, and he was “at a loss.” He argued that Muraviyev’s funds were used for business operations, not campaign donations.

California resident Andrey Kukushkin, who was on trial with Parnas, was also convicted of campaign finance violations.

Giuliani was a US prosecutor before becoming the mayor of New York in 1994. He was not charged with any crime and denied wrongdoing.

Lev Parnas’s defense attorney stated that the funds were used for business investment, not campaign donations [Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo]

Giuliani and Trump are rarely mentioned during the trial, but the photos of Parnas and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican) are among the first exhibits shown to jurors during the closing debate. , And the video of Giuliani and Parnas is one of the exhibits that jurors can watch during the trial. Deliberate.

DeSantis was one of those who received campaign donations, which the prosecutor said can be traced back to the $1 million that Parnas and Fruman received from Muraviev, who was involved in several U.S. cannabis companies.

Fruman, who lives in Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign citizens. His sentence was decided on January 21.