NEW YORK (AP) - A trial for two associates of Rudy Giuliani charged with using foreign money to make illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians to influence policy was postponed Wednesday to February 2021.
The men - Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman - pleaded not guilty after their October arrests and are free on bail.
U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan moved the new trial date from Oct. 5 to Feb. 1 after prosecutors in a letter to the judge cited “disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic” and said defense lawyers joined in the request.
Giuliani is a former New York City mayor and has served as the personal attorney to President Donald Trump.
The men were arrested on charges they used foreign money to make illegal campaign donations while lobbying U.S. politicians to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Two others also have pleaded not guilty in the case.
The men allegedly made the contributions while Giuliani was trying to get Ukrainian officials to investigate the son of Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden. Giuliani has said he knew nothing about the donations.
Trump’s efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation of the Bidens led the House to impeach Trump, though he was acquitted by the Senate earlier this year.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.