Topics discussed include Igor Fruman's guilty plea and the Fraud Guarantee case, John Pierce's mysterious disappearance and his representation of Capitol riot defendants, the ability to pay Rudy Giuliani for Cameo videos, and the cooperation of telecomm/social media companies with Congress. Other chapters explore sentencing guidelines in white-collar cases, the risks faced by lawyers in speaking with investigators, the preservation of information by telephone and social media companies, and a discussion on conflict of interest and support for KCRW.
Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, has pleaded guilty to soliciting foreign campaign contributions, which involved funneling funds from Russia to US political candidates and seeking licenses for marijuana businesses.
John Pierce, the attorney representing Capitol riot defendants, raises concerns due to his lack of experience in federal criminal law, previous financial issues, and questionable reputation, potentially impacting the defense of his clients.
Deep dives
Guilty Plea of Igor Fruman
Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, has pleaded guilty to soliciting foreign campaign contributions. The charges stem from a scheme to funnel funds from a Russian national to US political candidates and obtain licenses for marijuana businesses. Fruman has not cooperated with federal investigators and faces up to 46 months in prison.
Resurfacing of John Pierce
John Pierce, the attorney representing Capitol riot defendants, has reappeared after disappearing due to hospitalization. Pierce's past legal and financial issues have raised concerns about his competence to represent these defendants. His questionable reputation, previous mishandling of funds, and lack of experience in federal criminal law contribute to doubts about his ability to effectively defend his clients.
Kelly Sorrell's Voluntary Cooperation
Kelly Sorrell, an attendee of the Capitol riots associated with the Oath Keepers militia, voluntarily cooperated with federal investigators for hours and had her phone seized. Sorrell's actions raise concerns about her judgment as a lawyer, as she may have inadvertently provided incriminating evidence against herself or others. Her belief that her phone contains significant information has potential implications for other defendants linked to the investigation.
Requests to Preserve Information from Phone and Social Media Companies
The investigating committee in the House of Representatives has sent requests to phone and social media companies, asking them to preserve information related to the Capitol riots. While phone companies have acknowledged receiving the requests, social media companies have provided more vague statements. It is unclear how extensive their cooperation will be in terms of preserving and producing relevant records related to extremism, misinformation, and foreign influence policies.
There’s been a lack of thumb-headed henchmen news on the show for a bit… so this week, Ken and Josh check in on one. Igor Fruman, a sometime associate of Rudy Giuliani, has pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting foreign campaign contributions. In his indictment, it was alleged that Fruman, along with Lev Parnas and others, illegally funnelled millions of dollars from Russia to U.S. political candidates in an attempt to obtain licenses to operate marijuana businesses. What’s Fruman facing with this guilty plea, and what’s ahead for Lev Parnas, whose trial is set to begin in a few weeks? Yep, it’s time to talk about the company “Fraud Guarantee” again.
Popular January 6 lawyer John Pierce is back after mysteriously disappearing for a week, and he won’t tell anybody where he went. He’s representing nearly 20 Capitol riot defendants, even though he’s never tried a criminal case before. Josh and Ken answer a question from a listener about whether there’s an ineffective assistance of counsel claim to worry about here.
Plus: you can pay Rudy to make a Cameo that goes against his clients, apparently, and the telecomm/social media companies appear to be listening to Congress...so far.
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