Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was a figure in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment investigation, was sentenced Wednesday to a year and eight months in prison for fraud and campaign finance crimes.<\/p>\n
Parnas<\/a>, 50, had sought leniency on the grounds that he\u2019d cooperated with the Congressional probe of Trump and his efforts to get the leaders of Ukraine to investigate President Joe Biden\u2019s son.<\/p>\n U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken didn’t give Parnas credit for that assistance, which came only after the Soviet-born businessman was facing criminal charges. But the judge still imposed a sentence lighter than the six years sought by prosecutors.<\/p>\n The judge also ordered Parnas pay $2.3 million in restitution.<\/p>\n Addressing the court before the sentence was announced, Parnas sobbed and apologized to people who had lost money investing in his business ventures.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot that you heard is true your honor. I have not been a good person my whole life. I\u2019ve made mistakes. And I admit it,\u201d Parnas said. \u201cI want to apologize to all the victims that I hurt. These are all people who are my friends, all people who trusted me and I lied to them to further my personal agenda,\u201d Parnas said.<\/p>\n The criminal case against Parnas was not directly related to his work acting as a fixer for Giuliani<\/a> as the former New York City mayor connected with Ukrainian officials and lobbied them to launch an investigation of Biden\u2019s son, Hunter.<\/p>\n Instead, it zeroed in on donations Parnas had illegally made to a number of U.S. politicians using the riches of a wealthy Russian as part of an effort to jump-start a legal recreational-marijuana business.<\/p>\n In March, Parnas also pleaded guilty<\/a> to a wire fraud conspiracy, admitting that he and a partner had given investors false information about a Florida-based business, Fraud Guarantee, that promised it could protect people against fraud.<\/p>\n That new company hired Giuliani as a consultant at a time when some Ukrainian figures were trying to curry favor with the Trump administration, agreeing to pay him $500,000.<\/p>\n Charles Gucciardo, a Long Island attorney who put up the cash to pay Giuliani, told the judge during the sentencing hearing that he hoped the former mayor would return the money, since Fraud Guarantee turned out to be a fraud.<\/p>\n \u201cMy bet is he\u2019s going to give me that money back,\u201d he said, adding that he didn’t blame Giuliani, who has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the scheme.<\/p>\n Outside of court, Parnas said that he didn’t believe Giuliani would return the money.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019ll pay him back because, as you can see, he\u2019s gone down the path of no return. He\u2019s just an evil man, unfortunately, and somebody that I\u2019m very, very sad that I had to meet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Giuliani, who was working at the time as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump, has said he knew nothing about the crimes of Parnas and others.<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Giuliani’s interactions with Ukrainian figures violated a federal law that governs lobbying on behalf of foreign countries or entities.<\/p>\n Parnas and a business associate, Igor Fruman, attracted attention from reporters after arranging big donations to Republican politicians, including a $325,000 donation to a political action committee supporting Trump.<\/p>\n