Arizona prosecutors have been attempting to serve former New York City mayor and one-time attorney for Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, with notice of his indictment related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. However, despite weeks of effort, they have been unable to locate Giuliani, according to Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for the Arizona attorney general's office.
Giuliani is among a group of former President Donald Trump's allies indicted last month in Arizona, alongside 11 individuals who acted as fake GOP electors from the state in the last presidential election. The summons, which is a formal notice that Giuliani has been criminally charged and must appear before a judge on May 21, has been successfully served to all other defendants except Giuliani.
A team of prosecutors and investigators working for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has made multiple attempts to locate Giuliani. The day after the state-level grand jury handed up its indictment, two agents for the attorney general's office traveled to New York City with plans to hand-deliver the notice to Giuliani at his apartment. The agents believed Giuliani was likely in his residence because he had recently video streamed from there, which they determined by matching the setting of the feed with pictures of the interior of the residence from an old real estate listing.
However, upon arriving at the building, a person at the front desk told the agents they were not allowed to accept service of the documents, according to Taylor, who added that the individual did not dispute Giuliani lived there. "We were not granted access," Taylor confirmed, adding details previously reported by the Washington Post.
While Trump is not among those charged in Arizona, the details in the indictment suggest he is "Unindicted Coconspirator 1." The indictment reads, "In Arizona, and the United States, the people elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020. Unwilling to accept this fact, Defendants and unindicted coconspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona's voters."
Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, his close adviser Boris Epshteyn, the Republican National Committee's top lawyer for "election integrity" Christina Bobb, and former Trump campaign aide Mike Roman are among those charged in Arizona alongside Giuliani. All of the defendants except Giuliani have been served.
As Giuliani continues to evade service of his indictment notice, he risks facing contempt of court charges. The Washington Post reports that a person close to Giuliani said Tuesday that he keeps a busy schedule and that the April 24 indictment hasn't slowed him down. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Giuliani's activities.
In addition to the Arizona indictment, Giuliani also faces charges as part of the Georgia election racketeering case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a case where Trump himself was also charged. That case is currently on hold as a state appeals court reviews an ethics hearing that allowed Willis to remain in charge of the case.
Furthermore, Giuliani faces a $148 million judgment for defaming a pair of election workers in Georgia, which has led to him declaring bankruptcy. In an added sting, he has reportedly been dropped by his accountant in the middle of those proceedings.
