Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20211023

A28 u.s. news
Diasabra 23 OctOber 2021

Giuliani associate convicted of campaign finance crimes

respond to emails seeking graph featuring Parnas with money went toward support-
comment on the verdict. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, ing legal marijuana business-
a Republican, was one of the es looking to expand.
Giuliani remains under first exhibits shown to jurors
criminal investigation as au- during closing arguments Kukushkin’s lawyer, Gerald
thorities decide whether his and a video of Giuliani with Lefcourt, sought to portray
interactions with Ukraine of- Parnas was among exhibits his client as an unknowing
ficials required him to regis- jurors could view during de- dupe in the scheme, who was
ter as a foreign agent, but he liberations. mocked behind his back by
wasn’t alleged to have been other participants as mentally
involved in illegal campaign DeSantis was among those challenged.
contributions and wasn’t part who received campaign con-
of the New York trial. tributions that prosecutors Following the verdict, pros-
said were traced to $1 mil- ecutors asked for immediate
The case did, though, give an lion that Parnas and Fruman incarceration of Parnas and
up-close look at how Parnas received from Muraviev, who Kukushkin, citing a risk of
(AP) — A New York jury entered Republican circles in has been involved in several flight, but the judge allowed
convicted a former as- Parnas, 49, was convicted 2018 with a pattern of cam- U.S. cannabis ventures. them to remain free on bail
sociate of Rudy Giuliani on all counts after about five paign donations big enough while awaiting sentencing.
on Friday of charges that hours of jury deliberations. to get him meetings with the About $100,000 of Mura-
he made illegal campaign party’s stars. viev’s money went toward The charges against Parnas
contributions to influence The Soviet-born Florida campaign contributions in collectively carry the po-
U.S. politicians and ad- businessman had insisted “In order to gain influence what Assistant U.S. Attorney tential for decades behind
vance his business inter- through his lawyer that he with American politicians Hagan Scotten called a con- bars, but any prison sentence
ests. never used the Russian’s and candidates, they illegally spiracy to secretly bring his would likely be measured in
money for political dona- funneled foreign money into “wealth and corruption into years, rather than decades.
The verdict was returned tions. He briefly closed his the 2018 midterm elections American politics” in viola-
in Manhattan federal court, eyes and shook his head as with an eye toward making tion of laws barring foreign Fruman pleaded guilty ear-
where Lev Parnas was on trial the verdict was read. huge profits in the canna- donations to U.S. political lier this year to a single count
for more than two weeks as bis business,” U.S. Attorney candidates. of solicitation of a contribu-
prosecutors accused him of Outside the courtroom after Damian Williams said in a tion by a foreign national. He
using other people’s money the verdict, Parnas said, “I’ve statement following the ver- “The voters would never awaits sentencing.
to pose as a powerful political never hid from nobody. I’ve dict. “Campaign finance laws know whose money was
broker and cozy up to some always stood to tell the truth.” are designed to protect the pouring into our elections,” Another co-defendant, David
of the nation’s star Republi- integrity of our free and fair Scotten said. Correia, also pleaded guilty
can political figures. A co-defendant, Ukraine- elections – unencumbered by and has been sentenced to a
born investor Andrey Ku- foreign interests or influence Former Nevada Attorney year in prison for crimes in-
One part of the case alleged kushkin, was convicted of – and safeguarding those laws General Adam Laxalt, now cluding defrauding investors
that Parnas and an associ- being part of the effort to use is essential to preserving the a candidate for U.S. Senate, in an insurance company that
ate made illegal donations Muraviev’s money for po- freedoms that Americans testified during the trial that had paid Giuliani a $500,000
through a corporate entity litical contributions. He had hold sacred.” a blustering Parnas suggested consulting fee.
to Republican political com- also denied any wrongdoing. he could raise hundreds of
mittees in 2018, including a In addition to the $325,000 thousands of dollars for him Parnas awaits a second trial in
$325,000 donation to Amer- The case had drawn interest donation to America First in 2018. He eventually came connection with that scheme.
ica First Action, a super PAC because of the deep involve- Action, made through an en- through only with a $10,000
supporting former President ment of Parnas and a former ergy company, prosecutors check that Laxalt’s lawyers Giuliani has insisted that
Donald Trump. co-defendant, Igor Fruman, said Parnas and Fruman or- told him to reject. he knew nothing about po-
in Giuliani’s efforts to get chestrated donations to U.S. tentially illegal campaign
Another part said he used the Ukrainian officials to inves- Rep. Pete Sessions, of Texas, Joseph Bondy, a lawyer for contributions by either Par-
wealth of a Russian financier, tigate Joe Biden’s son during and to other committees sup- Parnas, had called the allega- nas or Fruman. The former
Andrey Muraviev, to make Biden’s campaign for presi- porting House Republicans. tions against his client “ab- mayor says everything he
donations to U.S. politicians, dent. surd.” did in Ukraine was done on
ostensibly in support of an Giuliani and Trump were Trump’s behalf and there is
effort to launch a legal, rec- Giuliani’s company and at- sparsely mentioned during He insisted in his closing no reason he would have had
reational marijuana business. torney didn’t immediately the trial, although a photo- argument that Muraviev’s to register as a foreign agent.

Day care owner gets 6 years for hiding 26 kids in basement

(AP) — A Colorado day Faith was only licensed to in the basement and one of a basement, but the officer
care owner convicted of care for up to six children at them, Valerie Fresquez, ac- heard children’s music and
keeping 26 children hid- her Colorado Springs pri- cepted a plea deal and testi- a child’s cry from the base-
den in the basement of vate day care and only two of fied at Faith’s trial, KRDO- ment, the affidavit said.
her business two years ago them were allowed to be un- TV reported. The 26th child
has been sentenced to six der the age of 2. who had been in the base- Another officer discovered a
years in prison after par- ment was picked up by a par- false wall and moved it to re-
ents said some of the chil- But police who went to her ent while police were at the veal the basement staircase,
dren suffered trauma in- Mountain Play Place day care day care, authorities said. the affidavit said.
cluding sleeping problems in November 2019 after re-
and anxiety. ceiving reports there were Many of the children had At Faith’s sentencing on
more children than allowed soiled or wet diapers and Thursday, parents of the chil-
A judge issued the sentence found 25 children in the were sweaty and thirsty, ac- dren and relatives filled the
to Carla Faith on Thursday basement, including 12 chil- cording to an arrest affidavit. courtroom, telling the judge
following her conviction by a dren under age 2, prosecutors that their children have suf-
jury in August of more than said. When police arrived, Faith fered trauma since being at
two dozen misdemeanor repeatedly told an officer that the day care, citing sleep and
child abuse charges and other There were two adult em- no children were there and anxiety issues, KOAA-TV re-
crimes. ployees supervising them that the home did not have ported.