Lawyers: Plea deal talks collapsed for Giuliani associate
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers say a potential plea deal that would have averted a criminal trial for an associate of Rudy Giuliani never materialized despite talks. A prosecutor told U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken on Tuesday that the talks with Lev Parnas never reached the stage where a formal plea offer was put in writing. Jury selection at a trial for Parnas, a Soviet-born Florida businessman, and Ukraine-born investor Andrey Kukushkin, is set to start next Tuesday. They are charged with making illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. Parnas was in court Tuesday while Kukushkin appeared remotely from San Francisco.
