SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Oct 19 - 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.
On October
14, Parnas' lawyer Joseph Bondy accused the
US Attorney's Office of racism, and AUSA
Hagen Scotten of threatening him with or
about a sidearm. Inner City Press live
tweeted it here
podcast here
On
the morning of October
15, before the jury came in, the
defense successfully argued to
have the jury instructed that the
Times Square
"street fight / racist"
video shown the day
before is not
relevant and is excluded.
Inner City Press
live tweeted
it here,
podcast here.
On October 18
to 1 pm, there
was more cross
examiation of
Van Rensburg,
and the beginning on
Caroline
Booth.
Inner City Press
live tweeted here
(podcast here)
(vlog here)
During the
afternoon of
October 18,
Bondy cross
examined Rep Pete Sessions' (now Liz
Cheney's)
staffer
Caroline
Boothe, mortgage
broker Ross
and lawyer /
notary
Preminger. The
question of
Parnas testifying
arose. Inner
City Press
live tweeted
it here.
On the morning
of October
19, an
argument out
of hearing of
the jury about
what Parnas could
be cross
examined
about, if he
testified.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted it here
(and podcast
here)
On the
afternoon of
October 19,
Ahearn of
America First
Action
was put on the
stand by the
defense, with
whether
Parnas will
follow him to
the stand
still left open.
Inner City
Press live tweeted
here and
below.
On
the morning of
October
20 - drum roll
- the time for
Parnas to
decide to
testify or not
came. And... he did
not. Inner
City Press
live tweeted
it here: (and podcast
here)
Judge
Oetken: Have
you chosen not
to testify? If
so I will tell
the jurors
they cannot
draw any
inference.
Neither Parnas
nor Kukushkin
will testify.
Judge Oetken:
Now only the
closings and
my
instructions
of law remain.
I'll tell the
jurors that
then let them
go
Parnas'
lawyer Bondy:
At this time,
Lev Parnas
rests his
defense.
Kukushkin's
lawyer
Friedman reads
in a
stipulation
about iPhone
and ProMac
exhibits,
"true and
correct copies
of
communications
of Igor
Fruman," etc
Kukushin's
lead lawyer
Lefcourt: At
this time,
Andrey
Kukushkin
rests his
case. Judge
Oetken:
Jurors, all
the evidence
has been
received. I
have a few
things to talk
about with the
lawyers about
my
instructions
of law --
Friedman: I'm
sorry, I have
an issue
[After a
sidebar] Judge
Oetken: So,
closing
argument
tomorrow and
you will start
deliberating.
Please don't
do any
research and
we'll see you
tomorrow.
Update: With
the jury gone
for the day,
now the
Assistant US
Attorney says
they will not
in their
closing use
the word
oligarch but
will call
Muraviev a
"tycoon," says
"We don't know
if he's a
billionaire,"
so we call him
tycoon. It's
like a
Monopoly term
(TM?)
From OK
- in US v.
Parnas &
Kukushkin, US
has rested its
case. With the
scope of any
cross of
Parnas if he
testified
still pending,
his lawyer is
making a Rule
29 motion.
Bondy:
We have an FEC
witness would
can't even
tell us the
materiality
threshold. As
to the
$325,000 it
was a bona
fide capital
investment.
Friedman for
Kukushkin: We
too make a
Rule 29
motion.
There's no
evidence that
Mr Kukushkin
knew Mr Parnas
at the time
Bondy:
Mr. Parnas
would like to
make his
decision on
whether or not
to testify
until after
the charging
conference.
AUSA: We think
that is a bad
idea, and not
considerate to
the jury. Mr.
Parnas has
known about
this for a
long time. He
has all the
data.
Bondy: This is
the most
important
decision Mr.
Parnas will
make in this
case, and one
of the most
important in
his life. I
believe the
defendant
could invoke
the 5th
Amendment if
he testifies -
and we'd like
to do it at
sidebar,
outside jury
presence.
Bondy: I
was working
with Mr.
Parnas until
midnight last
night. We are
ready to
proceed at all
times.
Judge
Oetken: We'll
go ahead with
Mr. Ahearn.
Any more,
other than
potentially
Mr. Parnas?
Bondy: Yes. I
expect an hour
with Mr.
Ahearn. Judge
Oetken: Let's
start
Judge Oetken
signs immunity
order.
Ahearn: I have
a masters from
Fordham.
Bondy: Then
what? Ahearn:
The McCain
presidential
campaign, then
Mayor
Bloomberg (get
out the vote
in The Bronx),
then Jon
Huntsman,
finance for
his race for
President
Bondy:
Then America
First Action
Super PAC?
Ahearn: Yes.
As finance
director.
Bondy: Where
did you meet
Lev Parnas?
Ahearn:
Mar-a-Lago.
Steve Katz
introduced him
to me. He was
trying to sell
his CBD
business.
Bondy:
Did you meet
him again at a
Protect the
House event
with Kevin
McCarthy?
Ahearn:
Yes.
Bondy: You ask
people for
money all the
time? Ahearn:
That's the
job. Bondy:
What about the
Pete Sessions
and President
Trump event.
Ahearn: Sounds
familiar.
Bondy: What
about the
dinner with
President
Trump - did
you talk to
Lev Parnas
about the
rules?
Ahearn: We
don't want to
put the leader
of the free
world into a
compromising
position. We
keep it
general.
Bondy: Do you
have
legalizing
cannabis?
Ahearn: It'd
be safer
Bondy:
Did you
understand
that Mr.
Parnas was
interested in
bringing
donors to the
Super PAC?
Ahearn: Yes.
Bondy: Robert
Pereira?
Ahearn: A
Florida
attorney,
large donor.
Bondy:
Do you recall
Mr. Parnas
asking you to
set up a
meeting with
Rick Perry?
Ahearn: I do
not. Bondy:
Did you go and
have the
Presidential
cheeseburger?
Ahearn: I was
there working
but not in the
room.
Bondy: If a
publicly
traded company
has a foreign
national as a
board member,
can it legally
make a
contribution?
Ahearn:
Depends on the
structure.
Bondy: You
learned this
as a
fundraiser,
yes? Ahearn:
Sometimes.
Now US'
cross-examination
of Ahearn.
AUSA: A
campaign can't
know to refund
a donation if
it does not
know there was
anything
wrong,
correct?
Ahearn: That
sounds right.
Judge
Oetken:
Jurors, I'm
going to let
you go, come
back tomorrow
at 9:30.
I think we're
still on
schedule.
Jurors leave.
Judge Oetken:
Charge
conference now
or tomorrow?
Defense:
Tomorrow.
AUSA: Let's do
it outside
jury hours.
Like 8 am.
Judge Oetken:
8 is really
early for me.
Anything
before then?
Bondy: At a
high level,
we'd asked in
our proposed
charge a
reference to
knowledge of
the elections
laws. We're
citing a
Puerto Rico
case.
Lefcourt: The
trial showed
the elections
laws are
complicated.
Judge
Oetken: OK,
have a good
evening.
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
Roots 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).
***
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