Investigation into Giuliani henchman has ‘extended beyond campaign finance violations’: report

The investigation into two associates of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has expanded significantly, BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday.

"A federal grand jury investigating activities surrounding Rudy Giuliani’s back-channel campaign in Ukraine has demanded legal documents that include records of extravagant spending at Trump hotels and millions of dollars in financial transfers by Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two key operatives who carried out the plan," BuzzFeed reported, based on a source familiar with the subpoena.

"The documents requested by a subpoena that was issued in Florida last week could shed light on whether other people, including foreign nationals, were trying to influence the top levels of government and impact the 2020 presidential campaign," BuzzFeed explained. "The subpoena also shows the investigation has extended beyond campaign finance violations — the current charges against two of the defendants in the shadow campaign — and may examine more serious financial crimes."

Prosecutors are examining more than $3 million in wire transfers.

"The subpoena, which was served on a source who requested anonymity, led to the release of information that included records detailing bank statements for several corporations controlled by Parnas, his wife, and Fruman, dating back at least three years," BuzzFeed reported. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars were transferred among the partners last year — in some cases back and forth — while some of the funds were sent to family members in patterns not consistent with normal business transactions, the experts said."

The report also details lavish spending, including spending nearly $7,200 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC and $6,240 at Wynn Las Vegas, which is owned by Steve Wynn, who was Trump's finance chairman for the Republican National Committee from 2017 to 2018.

Buzzfeed interviewed Florida attorney Scott Chapman, who says Parnas owes him a debt involving a 1995 Ferrari 456 GT that has grown to $122,000.

“Whether he is just a front man for another powerful person, I just don’t know," Chapman said. Someone is paying for it.”

Read the full report.