Svetlana Parnas is the wife of Lev Parnas, who is one of two associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani recently indicted on campaign finance violations.

Lev Parnas and wife Svetlana Parnas

Parnas and Igor Fruman were arrested on October 9, 2019, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The two men were carrying one-way tickets to Germany and were stopped as they prepared to board the plane.

According to the federal indictment, Parnas and Fruman are accused of using foreign money to try to influence politicians in the United States. For example, prosecutors said the men asked a congressman to help remove the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from her job while donating large sums to the congressman.

Parnas, who was originally from Ukraine, is a business executive based in Florida. His company, Global Energy Producers, was listed in the indictment as an alleged vehicle through which Parnas and Fruman could make large political contributions without using their names. Prosecutors referred to this as a “straw donor scheme.” Records from the Federal Election Commission show that Global Energy Producers donated $325,000 to a pro-Trump PAC called America First Action in 2018.

Svetlana Parnas is not named in the indictment. But she manages an investment group alongside her husband that, according to court documents, actually made the donation to the PAC supporting President Trump — not Global Energy Producers.

Here’s what you need to know about Svetlana Parnas.

Lev and Svetlana Parnas

The Florida Department of State website lists a company called Aaron Investments LLC that was registered with the state in 2015. Lev Parnas is named as the company manager.

Svetlana Parnas is listed on the filing as an “Authorized Member” and a “Registered Agent within the company, which is based in Boca Raton.

In June of 2019, Lev Parnas and his entity entitled “Parnas Holdings Inc” were issued subpoenas for documents in the federal Southern District of Florida court. On page 8, the document states that Aaron Investments LLC made a wire transfer of $325,000 on May 17, 2018.

The document goes on that the attorney requests “Any and all documentation, including correspondence, related to the attached wire that explains why You reported to the federal authorities the source of the funds wired were from third party Global Energy Producers, LLC (See attached Exhibit 2) and not Aaron Investments I, LLC the apparent source of the funds.” Svetlana’s name is specifically listed further in the document.

Aaron Investments LLC is operated by Lev and Svetlana Parnas

The date of the wire transfer matches the date listed on the Federal Election Commission website, marking when the $325,000 donation was made to the America First Action PAC.

Svetlana Parnas

Lev and Svetlana Parnas have a history of financial legal issues. A search of court records in Palm Beach County brings up multiple closed cases involving small claims judgments.

For example, a 2016 case lists Svetlana Parnas as the defendant in a civil suit against Portfolio Recovery Associates. The complaint shows that Parnas owed $3,398 and had not made necessary payments.

Svetlana and Lev Parnas were evicted from a property in 2014

Lev and Svetlana Parnas were evicted from a property in Boca Raton in 2014 by the landlord. According to the court document, the couple was responsible for paying a monthly rent of $15,000 but failed to pay.

Lev Parnas was also sued in federal court for failing to repay a $350,000 loan to Dianne and Michael Pues. They had lent Parnas the funds to invest in a movie project back in 2010, but were never repaid. A federal court judge later ruled that Parnas owed the couple $500,000 but has yet to return any of the money. Dianne Pues told the Miami Herald, “He conned us from day one… He financially ruined us. Our lives have not been the same since the day we met him.”

Lev Parnas’ son, Aaron Parnas, is pursuing a legal career. He attends the George Washington University Law School and is scheduled to graduate in 2020. He began law school at a younger age, 18, because he finished his bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University while still attending high school, according to the Palm Beach Post.

He told the newspaper in 2017, “One day I hope to be president of the United States, and all this is just a building block. It might seem like a lofty goal, but it’s one that I could definitely achieve.” The newspaper added that Parnas volunteered for the Trump campaign in 2016.

During the summer of 2019, Aaron Parnas completed a 3-month internship at Rudy Giuliani’s former law firm, Greenberg Traurig. According to his LinkedIn page, Parnas worked in the Miami office.

Giuliani has not been associated with the law firm since at least mid-2018. The New York Times reported in May of 2018 that Giuliani had resigned from the firm after initially taking a leave of absence to represent President Trump.

Svetlana and Lev Parnas tied the knot in 2012. The couple has five children, but it’s unclear how many of them are Svetlana’s biological children.

HAEAVY