Russian-born businessman Igor Fruman leaves the United States Courthouse in Manhattan borough of New York City, September 10, 2021, U.S. NEW YORK -- Igor Fruman, who helped Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani collect damaging information about Joe Biden before he was elected president, will learn on Friday whether he is headed for prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations.
The federal sentencing guidelines have recommended that Fruman, 55, spend 37 to 46 months in prison.
Fruman is seeking no time behind bars, but he has already accepted responsibility and spent more than two years in home confinement since his October 2019 arrest.
The government charged the Belarus-born Fruman and former Giuliani associate Lev Parnas with concealing an illegal $325,000 donation to support Trump's 2020 bid to be re-elected U.S. president.
Fruman's plea was related to an effort to obtain legal, recreational marijuana distribution licenses by donating to candidates in U.S. states where he wanted to do business. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST 1900 GMT before U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan federal court.
In his allocution, Fruman said that foreign nationals could not contribute to U.S. political campaigns, but he also sent a list of officials that he planned to donate to a foreign national backing the cannabis venture.
Muraviev's identity was revealed during the trial of Parnas in October, which ended with his conviction for violating campaign finance laws related to the marijuana licenses and the donation supporting Trump.
Parnas hasn't set a sentencing date. Fruman did not enter a cooperation deal with prosecutors in order to plead guilty.
Before the charges against Fruman and Parnas were brought in court, Giuliani had enlisted the pair to help uncover dirt on Biden and Biden's son Hunter during Trump's re-election bid.
Giuliani has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.