Feds say Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas hid $1M transfer from Russia, demand jail before trial

Federal prosecutors in New York asked a judge Wednesday to revoke bail for an associate of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, arguing Lev Parnas should be jailed before trial for providing false financial information to authorities.

The demand came after Parnas, charged with partner Igor Fruman and two others with campaign finance violations, asked a judge to ease the terms of his home confinement, which is a condition of his release on a $200,000 bond.

Prosecutors not only opposed that request but also argued that Parnas be jailed for making “materially misleading and false statements” about his assets and attempting to mislead the pretrial officer supervising him.

After once valuing his worth at slightly more than $450,000, Parnas later provided federal officials with bank account information, vehicle and cash reports totaling just $43,500, prosecutors wrote in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Paul Oetken.

The Ukrainian-born defendant allegedly gave varying and erroneous additional reports about his assets.

All the while, prosecutors wrote, he failed to disclose a $1 million transfer he received from a bank account in Russia in September, as well as plans to buy a property in Boca Raton, Florida, for about $4.5 million, prosecutors wrote. 

“Parnas poses an extreme risk of flight and that risk of flight is only compounded by his continued and troubling misrepresentations to … the government,” prosecutors asserted in their 10-page letter. “Accordingly, the government moves to revoke Parnas’ bail and seeks his remand pending trial.”

An attorney for Parnas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The conspiracy case against Parnas and Fruman accuses them of scheming to circumvent federal law against foreign influence by directing foreign funds to American political campaigns and committees. Two other men, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, were also indicted in the case.

All have pleaded not guilty.

More charges:Prosecutors could file more charges in campaign finance case against Rudy Giuliani associates