Two associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in a scheme to funnel illegal campaign contributions to a pro-Trump super PAC and other politicians.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, both foreign-born US citizens, wore American flag lapel pins on their suit jackets for their arraignments in Manhattan federal court.
Each man was released on a $1 million bond set following their arrests and ordered confined to their respective homes in Florida.
“Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently. I look forward to defending myself vigorously in court and I’m certain that in time, the truth will be revealed and I will be vindicated. In the end, I put my faith in God. Thank you,” Parnas said outside the courthouse afterward.
He didn’t respond to questions.
Parnas, who was born in Ukraine, and Fruman, who was born in Belarus, were busted earlier this month while preparing to fly out of Dulles International Airport, outside Washington DC, on one-way tickets to Vienna.
They’re accused of trying to advance their business interests, and those of least one Ukrainian government official, by making a $325,000 donation to the American First Action super PAC that they claimed came from a natural gas company called Global Energy Producers.
They’re also accused of scheming with two co-defendants, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, to funnel Russian money to various politicians so they could obtain state licenses to sell marijuana legally.
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