Giuliani associate Lev Parnas won’t testify at trial

Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, said on Wednesday that he will not testify during his trial for allegedly donating to political campaigns using money from a Russian financier.

Parnas informed a federal judge of his plans just one day after prosecutors presented evidence against him in court. He said that he arrived at the decision after consulting with his family, according to ABC News.

Parnas and his co-defendant Andrey Kukushkin both pleaded not guilty to all charges. On Wednesday, Kukushkin also said that he would not testify, the news outlet noted.

Prosecutors have accused the pair of conspiring to use nearly $100,000 of a Russian financier’s $1 million investment as contributions to the political campaigns of candidates they believed would serve their business interests, which include the marijuana industry and an energy company.

Defense lawyers on Tuesday requested that the judge rule that the government could not prove its charges; however, the judge declined to do so, according to ABC News.

Parnas previously worked alongside Guiliani to persuade Ukraine to launch an investigation into President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, during the 2020 election, ABC News reported

Giuliani is currently under investigation in New York, the news outlet reported.