The trial will launch about a month before Election Day, providing an unwelcome reminder for President Donald Trump of the Ukraine scandal that got him impeached.

Prosecutors allege Parnas and the others were attempting to curry political favor and advance their own business interests with their actions. In one case, for example, prosecutors say Parnas and Fruman donated to a member of Congress who later helped oust the American ambassador to Ukrainian, an act that played a key role in the House’s impeachment proceedings.

More broadly, Parnas and Fruman worked closely with Giuliani on his campaign to pressure the Ukrainian government into announcing an investigation into Trump's political rivals.

“We’re very much looking forward to having our day in court,” Joseph Bondy, Parnas’ attorney, said following the conference.

On Monday, defense attorneys criticized the volume of discovery materials that were being foisted on them ahead of the trial date — Bondy said he could only sift through electronic files after using an air conditioner to cool his computer processor. Judge Paul Oetken, however, sided with the government prosecutors.

“[The case is] about conspiracy and communication between individuals and the flow of money,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos. “There is actually a simplicity to it.”

Outside the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, Parnas referenced the impeachment trial that is entering its final stages more than 200 miles away in Washington, DC. Parnas wanted to testify in the Senate trial, but lawmakers on Friday shut down that possibility.

Parnas has also been feeding documents about the Ukraine scheme to House Democrats.

“People wanted witnesses and they didn’t get them, but I don’t think it’s over,” he said. “I think the truth will come out.”