SCOOP: Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two Soviet-born Trump donors who helped Giuliani’s efforts to investigate Joe Biden, were arrested late Wednesday on criminal charges of violating campaign finance rules.
by @rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman #Maddow wsj.com/articles/two-f…
by @rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman #Maddow wsj.com/articles/two-f…
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who are embroiled in Giuliani's scheme to shakedown Ukraine's state-owned gas company and smear the Bidens, have been under investigation by the SDNY, and are expected to appear in federal court in VA later on Thursday.
#Maddow
#Maddow
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman Giuliani associates, PARNAS and FRUMAN, via their foreign donations, sought to advance political interests of a Ukrainian govt official with whom they were working.
Like Sam Patten, who funneled $50K from a Ukrainian oligarch into Trump's inaugural fund.
Like Sam Patten, who funneled $50K from a Ukrainian oligarch into Trump's inaugural fund.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman Recall, when news broke that Manafort associate Sam Patten had pleaded guilty, Giuliani claimed he'd never heard of him, which is unlikely since Patten ran the 2015 reelection campaign of Trump and Giuliani's longtime friend, Kiev Mayor Klitschko.
#Maddow
#Maddow
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman Serhiy Lyovochkin, the Ukrainian oligarch mentioned in Sam Patten's plea deal who funneled $50K into Trump's inaugural, is the business partner of Dmytro Firtash [a 'comrade' of Russian mob boss Mogilevich], also funneled $42M to Manafort between 2010-13.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman The indictment of Giuliani associates and Trump super PAC donors, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, outlines a conspiracy to funnel a Russian donor’s money into US elections. Parnas and Fruman concealed their laundering foreign money into US elections by disguising its true origins. 
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman via @KenDilanianNBC: For today’s court appearance, Parnas and Furman will be represented by Kevin Downing and Thomas Zehnle, who also represented Paul Manafort [whose associate, Sam Patten, funneled illegal Ukraine donations into Trump's inaugural].
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC Giuliani associates Fruman and Parnas were arrested at Dulles, where they were trying to flee to Vienna, current home of Dmytro FIRTASH, whose business partner, Lyovochkin, funneled money to Trump's inaugural and was given Trump polling data by Manafort.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC .@aviswanatha reports on @CNN that in the past few months Giuliani associates Fruman and Parnas traveled several times to Vienna, where they attempted too flee to yesterday, and where Ukrainian oligarch and Russian mobster, Firtash, has been holed up.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN In recent months, Giuliani met with Manafort, whose pro-Putin dirty work in Ukraine was financed by Russia mobster, Firtash, “the de-facto head of Naftogaz under Yanukovych,” and Fruman and Parnas traveled several times to Vienna, where Firtash now lives.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN FULL CIRCLE: Former Trump lawyer John Dowd says his new clients, Fruman and Parnas, "assisted Rudy Giuliani with his representation of President Trump" and that they also assisted DiGenova and Toensing [Firtash's new lawyers] "in their law practice."
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN NEW: Rudy Giuliani says he was planning to fly to Vienna roughly 24 hours after his business associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were arrested trying to flee the country for Vienna, where Manafort associate Firtash is holed up.
by @elainaplott #Maddow bit.ly/2OIDlJo
by @elainaplott #Maddow bit.ly/2OIDlJo
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott If you're going to run a racket on Ukrainian state-owned gas company, Naftogaz, which Giuliani's pals were, who better to go to for advice than “de-facto head of Naftogaz under Yanukovych,” mobster Firtash, who still wields power in Ukraine from Vienna.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott Giuliani was heading to Vienna 24 hours after his associates, Parnas and Fruman, were arrested trying to flee to Vienna, where Manafort's mobbed up financier, Firtash, lives.
Oh, and Firtash is using Giuliani’s Biden smears to fight extradition to the US.
Oh, and Firtash is using Giuliani’s Biden smears to fight extradition to the US.
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott NEW via @rebeccaballhaus: Trump allies, DiGenova & Toensing, hired Giuliani associate Lev Parnas as an interpreter in July related to their representation of Firtash, the mobbed up oligarch who bankrolled Manafort's pro-Putin dirty work in Ukraine.
#Maddow
#Maddow
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott Indicted associates of Trump lawyer Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman, BOTH worked for Firtash [top-tier comrade of Russian mob boss Mogilevich whose business partner got Trump polling data from Manafort] before Parnas joined Firtash's legal team in July.
#AMJoy reut.rs/35nlQVf
#AMJoy reut.rs/35nlQVf
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott Parnas and Fruman's recent scheme to profit from Ukraine state-run gas company Naftogaz is similar to the Naftogaz shakedown scheme devised years ago by mob boss Mogilevich, which has been fronted by Firtash with Putin's blessing. bit.ly/2papCAx
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott May 2018: "The most odious scheme of all," which siphons billions from Ukraine's Naftogaz, and helps subsidize Russia’s war against Ukraine, "was devised years ago by mafia kingpin Mogilevich, and has been fronted by Firtash with the blessing of Putin." atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainea…
@rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha @sgurman @KenDilanianNBC @CNN @elainaplott “Firtash was financing the activities of Parnas and Fruman,” who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump's free lawyer Giuliani, who was extorting Ukraine at Trump's behest.
Reminds me of Trump's free campaign manager, Manafort, another Firtash pal.
Reminds me of Trump's free campaign manager, Manafort, another Firtash pal.
