Court Battles

Feds subpoena brother of arrested Giuliani associate: report

Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed the brother of one of Rudy Giuliani’s arrested associates, CNN reported Friday citing two people familiar with the matter. 

Steven Fruman, the brother of the indicted Igor Fruman, was subpoenaed by prosecutors in New York, according to CNN. Sources told the news network that prosecutors have issued several subpoenas and conducted property searches. 

In one instance, a door was reportedly blown off a safe to get to its contents.

{mosads}CNN reported that the reason for the interest in Steven Fruman is not clear, but noted that he is listed in Security and Exchange Commission documents as the vice president of the company run by Igor Fruman. It is also reportedly not clear what was wanted in the safe. 

Fruman, fellow Giuliani associate Lev Parnas and two co-defendants have been accused of funneling foreign money to Republican committees, including a $325,000 contribution in May 2018 to a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action.

The men reportedly introduced Giuliani to people connected with Ukrainian politics, although their arrests do not appear connected to Giuliani’s dealings with Ukraine. 

Lawyers for Steven and Igor Fruman declined CNN’s request for comment. A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office declined CNN’s request for comment and did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.