Rudy Giuliani has reportedly shed his entourage and hired a part-time driver to cut costs as his legal fees mount

• Rudy Giuliani has reportedly sacked most of his entourage to cut costs as his legal troubles - and fees - mount.
• Politico reported that Giuliani fired as many as five people since the FBI raided his properties.
• Giuliani also pays as much as $42,000 per month in alimony, which may have factored into his cost-cutting decisions.

Rudy Giuliani has drastically reduced the size of his entourage and reportedly fired as many as five people since the FBI raided his properties last week, Politico reported.

Citing three sources familiar with the former New York City mayor's actions, the report said Giuliani has found himself in a precarious financial position as legal fees mount following the FBI raids. He also pays as much as $42,000 per month in alimony to one of his ex-wives, which Politico said may have factored into his recent cost-cutting actions.

Giuliani, who serves as former President Donald Trump's longtime personal defense attorney, typically moved around Manhattan with a squad of up to five associates. Now, he relies solely on a part-time driver who was recently enlisted, Politico said.

He has also previously complained about his financial troubles; in 2019, he accidentally butt-dialed a reporter and was heard saying, "The problem is we need some money."

These days, Giuliani's legal costs are ratcheting up as he fends off a growing federal criminal investigation into whether he violated foreign lobbying laws.

Last week's FBI raids marked an aggressive new phase in the investigation, which is being spearheaded by the Manhattan US attorney's office and has been going on since at least 2019.

The feds executed search warrants on Giuliani's home and office and seized his electronic devices. Agents also seized a computer belonging to his personal assistant, Jo Ann Zafonte, served her with a grand jury subpoena, and raided the Washington, DC, home of Giuliani's associate Victoria Toensing.

Executing a search warrant on a lawyer is an extraordinary step that requires high-level approval and a sign-off from a federal magistrate judge. To secure such a warrant, prosecutors would have had to prove they had reason to believe Giuliani's home and office contained evidence of a crime.

According to The New York Times, investigators had been trying to secure a warrant against Giuliani for months, but Trump appointees at the Justice Department quashed their efforts. The probe resumed in earnest in March, and the department lifted its objection to the warrant after Merrick Garland was confirmed as attorney general.

The full scope of the criminal inquiry is unclear, but its central thread appears to be focused on Giuliani's longrunning effort to dig up dirt on the Bidens. Specifically, prosecutors are examining if he was working solely in his capacity as Trump's lawyer, or if he was also working on behalf of foreign interests who believed they would benefit from Trump's reelection.

If Giuliani was working on behalf of foreign interests, it could violate a law known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Put simply, FARA requires that American citizens notify the Justice Department of any contacts they have with foreign governments or officials, and if they interact with the US government or media at the direction of those officials.

Giuliani has not been charged with a crime, and he has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Robert Costello, called the FBI's raids "legal thuggery" and said in a statement that they reflected a "corrupt double standard" at the Justice Department.