Two men plead not guilty in alleged campaign finance scheme tied to Giuliani associates

Two men charged in a federal campaign finance case involving associates of Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

The two defendants arraigned Thursday, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, are each charged with one count of conspiring to funnel foreign money into the US election system.

Two additional defendants in the case, Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, are set to be arraigned next week. They have not yet entered a plea.

The case has received particular attention because Parnas and Fruman are linked closely to Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, having introduced Giuliani to former and current Ukrainian officials in his effort to compile what he has claimed is damaging information on Trump’s political rival, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Giuliani himself is also a subject of the ongoing investigation by federal prosecutors, who are examining his Ukrainian business dealings, CNN has reported, and that probe includes a counterintelligence component.

In court Thursday, prosecutor Nicolas Roos told the judge that the Justice Department intends to produce “fairly voluminous” discovery material that includes 10 search warrant applications, email and other communications from more than 10 accounts and financial records from more than 50 bank accounts.

Asked by the judge if the Justice Department intends to file a superseding indictment, a tool that would allow prosecutors to file additional charges or add defendants to the case, Roos didn’t answer directly.

“I think it’s fair to characterize the government’s investigation as ongoing,” he told US District Court Judge Paul Oetken. Roos added that no decision has been made on additional charges.

The judge set the next court date for all four defendants for December 2.

This story has been updated.