SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Oct 13 - In the Lev Parnas and
Andrey Kukushkin jury trial,
the first witnesses testified
on the afternoon of October
13. Inner City Press live
tweeted it here
and here.
Vlog here.
Now 1st US witness, Wesley Duncan, 40,
lawyer, OSU. AUSA: What did you do after The
Ohio State University law school? Duncan: Air
Force JAG Corps. Then prosecutor in Las Vegas.
Duncan: I also worked in the Nevada AG's
office. Then I ran against Adam Laxalt for the
position. AUSA: Did you win? Duncan: I did
not.
Duncan: This is a photo of me in Elko,
Nevada. AUSA: We offer GX 70-a-2. Who's
in it? Duncan: Elko chief of police and to my
left, a man in sunglasses. AUSA: Who was he?
Duncan: After I met Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman,
this gentleman. Mr Trump was there.
AUSA: Why did you think Parnas had money for
your campaign? Duncan: Scott Will told me he
was giving. AUSA: Did you dine with them?
Duncan: Yes, at Pierro's in Las Vegas. AUSA:
What did you discuss with Mr. Parnas? Duncan:
He was interested in a marijuana license.
After some A/V technical difficulties, now 2d
US witness Brad Hirsch AUSA Flodr: Is there an
objection? These exhibits are being offered to
show who the witness met with. Judge Oetken:
They'd admitted. AUSA: Now ID these people,
Mr. Muraviev and Mr. Kukushkin.
Hirsch: Muraviev is seated up at his plate.
AUSA: Where did you stay when you went to
Moscow? Hirsch: The Four Seasons Hotel. AUSA
Flodr: Who paid? Hirsch: My clients or Mr.
Muraviev.
AUSA: After your trip to Moscow did you stay
in contact with Mr. Muraviev and Mr.
Kukushkin?
Hirsch: Yes. I saw Mr. Muraview at least
twice. In California, I formed two entities
for the purpose of engaging in the cannabis
business. AUSA Flodr: Pull up Gov Exh 802.
On cross examination, Kukushkin's lawyer
Lefcourt asks: Mr. Hirsch, were you also a
lobbyist? Hirsch: I never lobbied politicians.
In Sacramento - shall I explain further?
Judge Oetken: Yes.Hirsch: I spoke to the
Sacramento City Council as a stakeholder.
Lefcourt: What does that mean?
Hirsch: I spoke for my clients. Judge Oetken:
Mr. Bondy? Bondy: As a cannabis lawyer, did
clients come to you not knowing what was
involved? Hirsch: My clients knew.
Bondy: And in cannabis, the law changes
frequently? Hirsch: Yes. Bondy: And California
cities can opt out? Hirsch: That is correct.
Bondy: There was something called the pre-ICO
stage? Hirsch: That was in Los Angeles.
Bondy: Has there been an issue about cannabis
being entitled to the same exemptions -- AUSA
Flodr: Objection, relevance? Judge Oetken:
Sustained. [A wag might say Bondy is trying to
introduce a tutorial on marijuana law(s) - or
is he crazy like a fox on this?]
Next witness, Ms Garcia. Works for US
customs and border protection in LA. AUSA: You
don't have to wear your mask. What do you do?
Garcia: I check passengers. AUSA: On April 15,
2019, where were you working? Garcia: Tom
Bradley Airport.
AUSA: Did you encounter Mr. Muraviev? Garcia:
Yes. He was on Aeroflot. He had a Russian
passport. AUSA: What is this document?
Garcia: A naturalization certificate. For Lev
Parnas. From the USSR. AUSA: Gov Exh 755.
Judge Oetken: Mr. Bondy? Parnas' lawyer
Bondy: When you work, you wear a uniform,
right? Garcia: Correct. Bondy: Travelers have
to get past you to get into the US? Garcia:
Yes. It's an international terminal.
Bondy: Have you experience people traveling
from other countries with heavy accents but
are US citizens? Garcia: Yes. Bondy: You met
with the prosecutors? Garcia: Yes, Mister
Nick. Q: Mr Nick? [Nicholas Roos] Bondy: Did
they work with you to improve your answers?
Garcia: No. Judge Oetken tells jurors
it'll go 20 more minutes, to 4:30. Next
witness. Daniel Henry Stewart. AUSA Flodr: How
far did you go to school? Stewart: J.D. &
masters of history. I'm a partner at a law
firm. I practice in Las Vegas, advising on
marijuana.
AUSA Flodr: How many kinds of marijuana
licenses does Nevada have? Stewart: Four. AUSA
Flodr: When was it legalized? Stewart: Medical
2013, then recreational in 2016 general
election. AUSA: Is there a cap on
licenses? Stewart: Yes. Based on a county's
population.
AUSA: How valuable are the licenses?
Stewart: Up to tens of millions of dollars.
AUSA: What's the governor's role? Stewart:
Veto or approve. And they can lobby.
Judge Oetken: Jurors, I'm going to let
you go for the day. [Jurors leave, and Stewart
leaves stand.] Lefcourt: Can we get the order
of witnesses for tomorrow? AUSA: Finish
Stewart, then FBI, FEC, Adam Laxalt, then
maybe one more.
Judge Oetken: On the summary charts, you've
taken out the one-time article? AUSA: Yes.
Judge Oetken: Then it's ok. Adjourned.
On October 11
Kukushkin asked to exclude a
slew of Government Exhibits,
full 8-page letter on Patreon
here.
On October 5
Judge Oetken held the final
pre-trial conference in
advance of October 12 jury
selection. Inner City Press
live tweeted it here
and below (podcast here)
Late on October 7
the US Attorney's Office has
written to Judge Oetken
seeking rulings in advance to
admit exhibits including "The
Inaugural Committee Articles,
the FEC Complaint Article, the
Time cover, and the Russian
Root Emails." Full letter on
Patreon here.
And now, song here.
On September 10,
Igor "The Glue" Fruman pleaded
guilty. Inner City Press live
tweeted it here
(with vlog;
podcast here)
The
case is US
v. Parnas, et
al.,
19-cr-00725
(Oetken).
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold
Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
,
