Two associates of President Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges they used foreign money to make illegal campaign contributions to politicians and committees to advance their business interests.
Two Ukrainians, Lev Parnas, 47, and Igor Fruman, 53, were arraigned in federal court in Manhattan about two weeks after being arrested.
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, has not been charged in the case or accused of wrongdoing.
“Many false things have been said about me and my family in the press and media recently,” Parnas told reporters after the hearing. “I look forward to defending myself vigorously in court, and Im certain that in time, the truth will be revealed and I will be vindicated.”
Fruman and his lawyers had no immediate comment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski told a judge Wednesday that a dozen search warrants had produced a “voluminous” amount of evidence in the case, including emails and other electronic communications. A lawyer for Parnas, Ed MacMahon, responded by suggesting 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.
Two others, American businessman David Correia, 44, a Florida resident like Parnas and Fruman, and Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen Andrey Kukushkin, who lives in California, were also arrested in the case.
Giuliani has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations and hadnt seen any evidence that Parnas and Fruman did anything wrong.