Rudy Giuliani’s former associate, Igor Fruman, would be pleading guilty on Wednesday to federal campaign finance charges. This was reported by several court documents, as the Ukrainian-born businessman initially pleaded not guilty to the charges that were lined up against him by the federal prosecutors of New York two years ago.
But the court docket for the case has highlighted a change of plea hearing which would be scheduled for Wednesday. Interestingly, Fruman’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Igor Fruman Has Changed His Statement from Not Guilty To Guilty
Igor Fruman and his partner in the business, Lev Parnas, were carrying with themselves one-way tickets to Vienna when they were arrested at Washington’s Dulles International Airport two years ago. The next day saw an unsealed indictment that accused the pair of making illegal straw donations- which also included a sum of $325,000 to a pro-Trump political action committee.
The Federal prosecutors of the state had already accused both of the men, along with a third man Andrey Kukushin, of being willing participants in a scheme that definitely involved making political donations through a foreign national who remains unidentified.
The indictment further stated that the main purpose for the donations was to help Igor Fruman and his associates gain major access to recreational marijuana licenses which would allow them to form a marijuana business in the state of Nevada. Incidentally, prosecutors noted that this venture never saw the light of day.
Prosecutors have stated that the two arrested individuals were also engaged in a scheme that was devised to force the ouster of the U.S ambassador to Ukraine in the officiating indictment.
NBC has reported that Igor Fruman and his partner were helping Rudy Giuliani find dirt on the political opponents of Donald Trump in Ukraine.
