Enlarge image
Ukrainian-American businessman and ex-Giuliani employee Lev Parnas
Photo: Carlo Allegri / REUTERS
A former business partner of former US President Donald Trump's lawyer has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for illegal campaign donations.
A federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday sentenced businessman Lev Parnas, who had previously worked with Trump's then-attorney Rudy Giuliani, to prison.
It is the second judgment against Parnas.
In October, Parnas, a US citizen from Ukraine, and co-defendant Andrey Kukushkin were found guilty of illegal campaign financing, among other things.
According to the indictment, they wanted to gain influence over MPs with illegal donations before the 2018 midterm congressional elections.
$325,000 campaign donations for Trump campaign
Among other things, Parnas donated $325,000 to a campaign organization called America First Action, which campaigned for Trump's re-election in 2020.
Also, some campaign donations sent by Parnas are said to have actually come from a Russian businessman, which is illegal.
Parnas was arrested at Washington Airport in October 2019.
He played a role in the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump's first impeachment trial.
Trump's attorney at the time, Giuliani, had been searching in Ukraine for incriminating material against Democrat Joe Biden, who eventually defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Parnas is said to have supported him in this.
Giuliani was mayor of New York from 1994 to 2001.
Before that, in the 1980s, he worked as a public prosecutor.
During Trump's presidency, Giuliani served as an advisor and later as Trump's personal attorney.
However, he recently lost his license to practice law because of false statements in court in connection with the last US presidential election.
Giuliani was not charged with any crimes at this trial and denies wrongdoing.
muk/AFP
