7 things to know about the arrests of the 2 Giuliani associates

Two businessmen who are associates of President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested on campaign finance violations. Is there a connection to the Trump-Ukraine scandal that has entangled the controversial, divisive president in impeachment proceedings by the House?

Here, compiled from Globe wire reports, is what we know so far about the story:

Who are the two men?

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are Florida-based executives of an energy company. Parnas, 47, a former stockbroker, was born in Ukraine and is a naturalized US citizen. Fruman was born in Belarus and is also a naturalized US citizen. Parnas has told The Washington Post that Giuliani, Trump’s outspoken, combative lawyer, is a ‘‘very good friend’’ but their relationship is not long-standing. Parnas said he got to know Giuliani while fundraising for Trump’s 2016 campaign. ‘‘The relationship bonded and built over time. We’re just very close,’’ he said. In May, Giuliani tweeted that Parnas and Fruman were his ‘‘clients.”

What did they do for Giuliani in the Ukraine?

Parnas and Fruman have acted as emissaries in Ukraine for Giuliani. They assisted Giuliani in his efforts to dig up information about, and encourage investigations into, Trump’s political rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Parnas worked with Fruman to connect Giuliani to Ukrainian prosecutors who provided information to Giuliani, The New York Times has reported.

The AP reported last week that Parnas and Fruman helped arrange a January meeting in New York between Ukraine’s former top prosecutor, Yuri Lutsenko, and Giuliani, as well as other meetings with top government officials.

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