Feds arrest fourth defendant in Guiliani Ukraine case

A self-described former pro golfer from South Florida who was indicted last week on campaign finance charges was arrested by federal authorities on Wednesday.

David Correia, who worked with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, is now in federal custody and will be arraigned Thursday before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in Manhattan federal court, a Justice Department spokesperson said. Correia was arrested at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City, according to the Associated Press.

Correia was one of four people, including Parnas, Igor Fruman and Andrey Kukushkin, who allegedly conspired to circumvent federal campaign finance laws by engaging in a scheme to funnel foreign money to candidates for federal and state office so they could buy potential influence with candidates, campaigns, and the candidates’ governments, according to the indictment.

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The indictment also alleges that Parnas and Fruman received two $500,000 wire transfers from an unnamed foreign businessman to use for political contributions to state candidates in Nevada, where the two men and their indicted partners — Correia and Kukushkin — were pursuing a recreational marijuana license.

Correia has been a pro golfer, a restaurant owner, a Philadelphia real estate investor and a commercial mortgage lender, according to his company biography. His LinkedIn describes him as a “serial entrepreneur.”

He has been associated with Lev Parnas since at least 2012, when he was listed as the secretary of a company called Parnas Holdings, Florida corporate records show.

Their biggest venture together has been a South Florida firm called Fraud Guarantee that told investors it could protect their money from swindlers. Correia was listed as a co-founder.

Over the summer, Correia called a New Jersey couple seeking to enforce a $500,000 court judgment against Parnas in Florida over a movie deal gone bad.

“He said we no longer knew who we were dealing with and that [they] had ties all the way up to the State Department and the White House and they were partners with Rudy Giuliani,” Dianne Pues recalled in an interview with the Miami Herald.

Pues’ attorney, Tony Andre, said in an interview that Correia “seems like he’s worked with [Parnas] for years.”

“It seems like Lev is the boots-on-the-ground henchman for Fruman and Correia is like that for Parnas,” Andre said. “That’s the only thing I’ve been able to really gather.”

Giuliani told Reuters that he received $500,000 for his work with Boca Raton-based Fraud Guarantee.

Voter records show Correia is not affiliated with a political party — but he seems to have become a fan of President Donald Trump. A photo posted online in January 2018 shows Correia with the president. Correia and Fruman also appear to have met Trump at a campaign event for America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC, according to a photo posted on July 4, 2018 on the Facebook page of Ukraine’s chief rabbi.

Correia has not donated to any federal political campaigns within the last 10 years, federal records show. A search of Florida political contributions also came up empty.

In 2016, Correia and his wife paid $337,000 for a home in Palm Beach Gardens, according to county property records. He has found himself in Palm Beach courts over several debts, including an eviction action against Fraud Guarantee that ended in a $26,000 judgment against the company, Parnas and Correia.

-- Nicholas Nehamas, Alex Daugherty and David Smiley