Giuliani associate Lev Parnas tried hiding $1M Russia payment, prosecutors allege

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for Dec. 11

Fox News Flash top headlines for Dec. 11 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com

U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday accused Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas of receiving and trying to hide a $1 million payment from Russia just one month before he was charged with campaign finance violations.

Prosecutors are now asking a judge to jail Parnas for underreporting his assets, according to Bloomberg.

“Parnas failed to disclose, in describing his income to the government and pretrial services, the fact that in September 2019, he received $1 million from a bank account in Russia into Account-1,” the court filing stated.

The court filing reportedly gave little explanation as to where the $1 million came from or what it was intended for. Prosecutors claim the money was deposited into an account overseen by Parnas' wife, Svetlana, in an attempt to shield it from suspicion.

Parnas was arrested in October with his associate Igor Fruman as they attempted to board a one-way international flight out of Dulles Aiport near Washington, D.C. He was then charged less than 24 hours later with violating a ban on foreign donations and contributions in connection with federal and state elections.

GIULIANI ASSOCIATE LEV PARNAS WILLING TO COMPLY WITH IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

In November, Parnas' lawyer Josephy Bondy said his client would be willing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, despite denying previous House committee requests for specific documents.

“He will answer the subpoena to the best of his ability,” Bondy said. "Parnas was deeply disturbed to learn in jail while awaiting bail that the president was disavowing and claiming not to know him."

Parnas and Fruman pleaded not guilty to the campaign finance charges connected to political donations to a pro-Trump super PAC. They are accused of using the company Global Energy Producers (GEP) to funnel money into American elections.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show GEP made $325,000 in donations to the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action in May 2018.

Fox News' Marta Dhanis and Louis Casiano contributed to this report