Agents of the U.S. government have issued multiple subpoenas and conducted searches of various properties in the course of investigating Rudy Giuliani's “Fraud Guarantee” associates, and in one instance feds literally blew the door off a safe to access its contents, reports CNN.
The subpoena to Steven Fruman is the latest indication of prosecutors' actions since the rushed arrest two weeks ago of his brother, Igor Fruman, and another defendant, Lev Parnas, at a Washington-area airport. Since then, investigators have doled out multiple subpoenas and conducted several property searches, in one case blowing the door off a safe to access the contents, sources tell CNN.
Federal prosecutors told a judge this week that they are sifting through data from more than 50 bank accounts. In addition, they've put a filter team in place as they examine communications obtained via search warrant and subpoena, sensitive to material that could be subject to attorney-client privilege because Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, counted Parnas as a client. A filter team is a separate set of prosecutors who are assigned to examine evidence and set aside material that is privileged.
Since the October 9 arrests, federal agents visited the New York home of Steven Fruman and served him with a subpoena from Manhattan federal prosecutors, the people familiar with the matter said.
Attorneys for Steven and Igor Fruman declined to comment, as did the Manhattan US Attorney's office.
Feds blow door off safe, issue subpoenas as probe into Giuliani associates escalates [Erica Orden and Evan Perez, CNN]
