Rudy Giuliani took part in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona.
Prosecutors can’t find the former New York City mayor to serve him legal papers.
What Happened: A group of ex-President Donald Trump's allies were indicted last month in Arizona. Prosecutors also charged 11 individuals who acted as fake GOP electors.
Giuliani, who went bankrupt in December, is the only defendant prosecutors have been unable to serve with a summons.
Calls to the Arizona attorney general's office were not immediately returned.
A team of prosecutors and investigators working for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has made multiple attempts to locate Giuliani, CNN reported.
Agents working with the attorney general's office traveled to New York City to hand-deliver the notice to Giuliani. They were not allowed to service the documents at the front desk where Giuliani lives, according to the Washington Post.
Giuliani lost his radio show at New York City’s WABC affiliate last week. He quickly relaunched “The Rudy Giuliani Show” on YouTube and is believed to be livestreaming from his apartment.
Why It Matters: Trump is not among those charged in Arizona. The indictment documents suggest he is "Unindicted Coconspirator 1."
"In Arizona, and the United States, the people elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020," the indictment reads.
"Unwilling to accept this fact, Defendants and unindicted co-conspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona's voters.
Among those charged:
- Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff
- Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump aide who was charged with conspiracy, fraud and forgery
- Christina Bobb, once touted as the GOP’s "election integrity" lawyer, was indicted for election subversion
- Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign aide who oversaw Election Day operations
- Jenna Ellis, another Trump lawyer, who already pleaded guilty in Georgia for trying to subvert the 2020 election
Several of Trump’s pals have already been sentenced for charges separate from election fraud:
- Former Trump advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro — both in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee.
- Michael Cohen, who is testifying against Trump as part of the hush money and falsified business record trial in New York.
- Trump’s former campaign chair Paul Manafort was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for fraud related to his work in Ukraine.
- George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign advisor, served 12 days in prison in 2018 for lying to investigators about Russian contacts. Trump pardoned him in December 2020.
- Roger Stone, a Trump associate, was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2020 for witness tampering. Trump commuted Stone’s sentence, and the two have on occasion been campaigning together.
- Rick Gates, Trump’s deputy chairman for the 2016 campaign, spent 45 days in prison for lying to the FBI.
What’s Next: The summons — formal notice that Giuliani has been criminally charged — states he must appear before a judge on May 21.
Whether twice-impeached Trump will continue helping Giuliani with legal costs remains to be seen. Their relationship has been reportedly strained largely due to Giuliani's unsuccessful legal battles on Trump's behalf.
Now Read: Biden Signals Intent To Debate Trump In June — ‘Make My Day, Pal’
Image: Shutterstock.
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