Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to election interference charges in Arizona after being served at his 80th birthday party.
Mr Giuliani, former lawyer to Donald Trump, faces nine felony charges for his alleged role in a 2020 presidential election interference plot. The former mayor has been charged alongside 17 others in the scheme.
He appeared virtually at his arraignment on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the Associated Press, where he was required to post a $10,000 bond. His trial will begin in October.
The Arizona indictment accuses the defendants of interfering with “the lawful transfer of the presidency of the United States, keeping President Donald J Trump in office against the will of Arizona voters, and depriving Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted.”
Prosecutors say that one month after the 2020 election, 11 Republicans supporting Mr Trump convened at the state’s GOP headquarters to sign certificates claiming the state’s electoral college votes.
The additional seven people charged, including Mr Giuliani, were included for their alleged roles in the scheme.
Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Mr Giuliani, said the former mayor “looks forward to full vindication soon.”
“These charges are essentially a cut and paste version of what they’re attempting to use to interfere with the 2024 Election and to take down President Trump and anyone willing to take on the permanent Washington political class,” Mr Goodman wrote to The Independent
Arizona officials served the indictment to Mr Giuliani after his 80th birthday bash in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday. At the party, the former New York mayor served cake and belted out a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
“He was unfazed and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of life, who love and respect him for his contributions to society,” Mr Goodman told The Independent last week.
Others charged in the case include Mr Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; the main election security lawyer for the Republican National Committee (RNC) Christina Bobb; and former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward.
Ms Ward pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Mr Giuliani was the last defendant to be served after officials said it was difficult to locate him. A spokesperson for Mr Giuliani previously told The Independent: “We are LIVE every night, where we regularly announce our specific location,” in reference to the ex-mayor’s live broadcasts on YouTube.
His legal woes in Arizona comes as he struggles with bankruptcy and $148m in debt.
The former New York mayor declared bankruptcy in December after being ordered to pay two election workers after he pushed a baseless conspiracy over their part in the 2020 election. He has subsequently missed deadlines to file financial disclosures.
The judge in charge of his bankruptcy case said that he was “disturbed” that so little progress had been achieved in sorting out his finances earlier this month. Last week, the judge also blocked Mr Giuliani from appealing a $148m defamation judgment against him.
This article has been updated to include a statement from Mr Giuliani’s spokesperson.
