Rudy Giuliani's indicted associates attended Indiana GOP event that promoted Braun, others

Two associates of Rudy Giuliani who are accused of illegally funneling foreign money into U.S. campaigns attended an Indiana Republican event promoting U.S. Sen. Mike Braun and others just days before the 2018 election. 

The reason remains a mystery.

The two men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, accompanied Giuliani on the Nov. 3, 2018, campaign stop in Franklin Township. They can be seen in photographs and video from the event, but Braun's campaign said they weren't there at his invitation.

The event took place at a time when federal prosecutors say Parnas and Fruman were trying to enhance their influence in political circles by attending events and contributing money to candidates across the country.

The Indiana politicians who participated in the event, including Braun, Gov. Eric Holcomb, and U.S. Sen. Todd Young, said they do not recall any interactions with the two men.

An IndyStar review of state and federal campaign finance records does not show any contributions to Indiana candidates from Parnas, Fruman or their affiliated entities. That said, their contributions might very well have ultimately benefited candidates in Indiana.

A shell company prosecutors say they created, Global Energy Producers LLC, contributed $325,000 to a super PAC, America First Action. That super PAC spent $2.8 million opposing Braun's opponent, then-Sen. Joe Donnelly, in addition to spending money on many other races across the country.

The men contributed smaller sums in their own names to several other committees that supported Braun (and many other Republicans), including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Vice President Mike Pence's Great America Committee.

Parnas, 46, a U.S. citizen born in Ukraine, and Fruman, 53, a U.S. citizen born in Belarus, were arraigned today in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Paul Oetken. Both men pleaded not guilty and are free on $1 million bonds.

A criminal indictment unsealed on Oct. 10 accuses Parnas and Fruman of conspiring to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors to U.S. government officials, candidates and political action committees.

The contributions, some disguised through so-called straw donors, were aimed at boosting the campaigns of President Donald Trump and his allies, advancing the interests of a Ukrainian government official and funding a planned cannabis retail business in the U.S., the indictment alleged.

The case has drawn national attention because the two men assisted Giuliani, who is Trump's personal lawyer, in his effort to convince the government of Ukraine to open up an investigation of Trump's political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

House Democrats have subpoenaed Parnas and Fruman as witnesses in the ongoing impeachment inquiry of Trump.

An IndyStar video of Giuliani's campaign stop in Indiana shows the two men, clad in suits and dark sunglasses, accompanying the former New York City mayor as he arrives at the event. They can also be seen in photos posted to Indiana Republican Party social media accounts.

They did not participate in the event, which was part of a statewide bus tour for Braun and other Indiana GOP candidates organized by the state party as part of a final blitz before the election.

In a five-minute speech, Giuliani urged support for Braun, praised Trump's record on jobs and highlighted his friendship with the president. 

"I've known him for 29 years, and he's a close friend," Giuliani said of Trump. "I knew he would be a good president."

Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer said Giuliani and his two associates arrived to the event late and did not join candidates on the bus ride to or from the event. 

Hupfer said neither he nor the governor recall any interactions with the two men. Spokesmen for Braun and Young said the same thing.

"Nobody even talked to them," said Joshua Kelley, a spokesman for Braun. "I think the assumption was they were part of Giuliani's security detail."

Giuliani did not respond to inquiries from IndyStar about why Parnas and Fruman accompanied him on the trip to Indiana. An attorney for Parnas did not respond to inquiries. Fruman's attorney declined to answer questions.

Jennifer Hallowell, an Indianapolis political consultant, coordinated Giuliani's visit. She said he "was traveling to multiple states to support Republican candidates."

"It’s customary for elected officials and VIPs to have staffers or associates traveling with them," she said. "I didn’t know who was accompanying him that day, and aside from possible greetings, I didn’t have conversations with them."

Braun campaigned as a staunch Trump loyalist and has criticized the impeachment inquiry as a partisan affair. He has said Trump's request that the president of Ukraine open an investigation of the Bidens doesn't rise to the level of impeachment, though Braun has said he personally wouldn't have made the request.

USA Today reporter Kevin McCoy contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @IndyStarTony.