NYC jury hears closings at Giuliani associate’s fraud trial

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecutor has told jurors at the trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani that the defendant hatched a scheme to funnel $1 million in funds from a wealthy Russian financier into U.S. elections. An assistant U.S. attorney said in closing arguments Thursday at a federal trial in New York that evidence shows Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin used “lies and tricks” to conceal the source of the money in violation of campaign finance regulations. A defense attorney countered by calling the allegations against Parnas “absurd.” Florida businessperson Parnas and Kukushkin are accused of conspiring to use Andrey Muraviev’s money to advance their business interests.