U.S. Mulls More Charges Against Giuliani Allies; Trial Date Set

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government may file additional charges against Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas and others accused of campaign-finance crimes before the start of their trial Oct. 5, a prosecutor said Monday.Parnas and co-defendant Igor Fruman worked closely with Giuliani in trying to dig up dirt in Ukraine on Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, and in ousting the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, the government alleges. Prosecutors had indicated in December that the case could be expanded based on a review of evidence including bank accounts, email addresses and other materials.The government is “still evaluating” whether to file more charges, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos told a federal judge in New York Monday.Roos didn’t say what an expanded case might entail or if it would include additional defendants. Bloomberg and other news organizations have reported that Giuliani is a subject of interest in the case.Also during the hearing Monday:Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan federal court they have not been able to completely access 20 electronic devices seized in the case because the defendants have declined to provide their passwords.Oetken rejected a defense request that the government disclose how it obtained information to begin its prosecution, including whether communications by the defendants was intercepted or gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies. The use of such evidence -- or anything else derived from it -- can be problematic in U.S. courts because the means of obtaining it do not always meet legal standards. But “defendants have not established a colorable basis to claim they were aggrieved by any unlawful surveillance,” the judge said.To contact the reporter on this story: Christian Berthelsen in New York at cberthelsen1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Steve StrothFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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