Lev Parnas, a former Giuliani ally, convicted on campaign finance charges

Former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas was convicted Friday of illegally funneling money to U.S. political campaigns to gain influence and bolster a marijuana business.

The Soviet-born Parnas and his co-conspirator, Andrey Kukushkin, tried to "manipulate the United States political system for their own financial gain," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. Kukushkin also was convicted. The men directed money to American politicians during the 2018 midterms aiming to increase the marijuana business' profits, Williams said.

Parnas and another associate, Igor Fruman, also collaborated with Giuliani to find information that could damage President Biden's campaign, to help former President Donald Trump. That scheme led to the first of Trump's two impeachments.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up