Lev Parnas, a one-time associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was convicted Friday on charges that he illegally funneled money to U.S.
"In order to gain influence with American politicians and candidates, they illegally funneled foreign money into the 2018 midterm elections with an eye toward making huge profits in the cannabis business," Williams said.
The case did, though, give an up-close look at how Parnas entered Republican circles in 2018 with a pattern of campaign donations big enough to get him meetings with the party’s stars.
In addition to the $325,000 donation to America First Action, made through an energy company, prosecutors said Parnas and Fruman orchestrated donations to U.S.
DeSantis was among those who received campaign contributions that prosecutors said were traced to $1 million that Parnas and Fruman received from Russian businessman Andrey Muraviev, who has been involved in several U.S.
About $100,000 of Muraviev’s money went toward campaign contributions in what Assistant U.S.
Giuliani has insisted that he knew nothing about potentially illegal campaign contributions by either Parnas or Fruman