Igor Fruman, Giuliani’s partner, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday

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Fruman and another Giuliani partner, Lev Parnas, were originally charged in October 2019 in a case alleging that they spent foreign money on the coffers of the US campaign, of which they pleaded not guilty.

In September 2020, prosecutors filed additional charges that appeared to be designed to increase pressure on defendants to cooperate. Fruman and Parnas also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

It is unclear whether Fruman’s guilty plea will include a cooperation agreement. A Fruman attorney did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Any Fruman assistance to prosecutors could threaten Giuliani, who has been the subject of an ongoing independent criminal investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors for more than two years.

Giuliani has denied the lack of illegal acts. A Giuliani lawyer did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment Monday.

Prior to their indictment, Fruman and Parnas were closely related to Giuliani, the former personal attorney for former President Donald Trump. For months, they helped Giuliani’s effort in Ukraine to gather what he claimed was damaging information about Trump’s then-political rival, Joe Biden, whose son Hunter Biden was on the company’s board. Ukrainian energy Burisma.

Federal prosecutors have been investigating Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine, including whether he carried out illegal lobbying activities for Ukrainian officials while pursuing an investigation related to the Bidens, CNN reported.
After federal agents executed search warrants in Giuliani’s apartment and office earlier this year, a Parnassus attorney expressed concern in court records that materials confiscated from Giuliani could be relevant to in the case of associates.

An independent review of documents taken during searches is now being conducted to determine if any are subject to attorney-client privilege.

This story was updated with additional details Monday.

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