NEVER OPEN AN ACCOUNT IN ANY BANK WITHOUT FIRST CONDUCTING DUE DILIGENCE FIRST

Yesterday, I received this huge marketing email from HAMILTON RESERVE BANK, detailing the bank's many services. The bank's global correspondents are all prominent international financial institutions, and if I was not well informed about the multiple lawsuits pending against the bank by depositors, alleging that they were getting excuses and delays from staff when they attempted to make withdrawals in the ordinary course of business, I could entertain opening an account. In truth and in fact, some of these individuals have millions of dollars on deposit at Hamilton, yet assert that they access their money, in civil suits and claims made by their representatives. What's wrong with this picture?

I am forever fascinated when I see that affluent individuals, who would never attempt real estate purchases, or the acquisition of ongoing businesses, choose to dive right into a new banking relationship, without have a competent professional conduct a due diligence inquiry into pending and threatened litigation, issues with regulators, possible negative information in the financial press, pending criminal investigation, labor problems, whistleblower complaints, and possible fiscal solvency issues. To do any less, and then to be taken in by glossy advertising or promotions, is no less than negligence. Litigation information in most jurisdictions has gone digital, and is available online, either free or for a token cost. Most media is also online, as are regulatory reports and financial news. And does the local court system follow the Rule of Law, or is it corrupt and subject to external pressure?

So why do individuals who know better, give in to temptation, or a clever marketing campaign, touting bank secrecy and stability, and send their wealth offshore, without a check on the destination, and who is behind it?

AFTER ELEVEN YEARS, IRAN'S BIGGEST MONEY LAUNDERER, REZA ZARRAB, IS SCHEDULED FOR SENTENCING IN NEW YORK

The principal money launderer for the Islamic Republic of Iran's sanctioned global oil sales program, REZA ZARRAB a/k/a Risa Sarraf, has finally been scheduled for sentencing in SDNY on July 14, 2026. Zarrab's case was a gentle reminder to career criminals, they are best advised not to come to the United States, to take in Walt Disney World with their families, lest they find out, alas, too late, that they have a sealed indictment pending against them.

Our extensive previous coverage of the case does not bear repeating; what we really want to know is whether Zarrab will cheat blind justice through his extensive, but private, cooperation with what can only have been one of our intelligence services, for no other government agency can take a major criminal out of custody, during his case, and give him the degree of freedom that Zarrab has enjoyed. This includes, but is not limited to, years in South Florida at a horse ranch, and the freedom to roam around Manhattan at will, unsupervised. I don't know what secrets about Iran that he disclosed, or what cooperation he engaged in, but he has evaded accountability for his many crimes thus far. Will he walk out with Time Served? Stay tuned.

DOMINICA CONTINUES TO ALLOW ITS CBI VENDORS TO SELL PASSPORTS AT AN ILLEGAL DEEP DISCOUNT; WHY IS NOBODY IN THE CARIBBEAN STOPPING ROOSEVELT SKERRIT?

The Commonwealth of Dominica, in open defiance of the 2024 Memorandum of Agreement, which it duly signed, is allowing and permitting its passport vendors to continue to sell Citizenship By Investment passports at illegal discounts, from USD$45,000 to 90,000. Look at this arrogant advert; it appears that the Agreement, which has no enforcement provisions, is beiong brazenly ignored by Dominica's Prime Minister, ROOSEVELT SKERRIT, who should have long ago been cashiered for running the CIU as if it was a criminal racketeering enterprise. Dominicans risk further American sanctions, due to this serious violation of the Agreement; perhaps their greed and avarice has gotten the best of them.

Our sources have confirmed that Dominica has been selling CBI at an illegal discount for more than two years, ever since its American correspondent bank, BANK OF AMERICA, cancelled its relationship with the country's passport sales program. Given this continuing violation, perhaps US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will impose additional restrictions and sanctions upon all Dominican passport holders, or restrict travel and trade, which would crash the small Caribbean nation's fragile economy, as its government tries to pay for the construction of a massive international airport, solely with CBI income. What if nobody wants a Dominican passport any more, given its soon-to-come loss of EU visa-free entry, due to the looming ETIAS? It is already not welcome in the UK or US. What will happen, Mr. Skerrit?

DID HAMILTON RESERVE BANK INTENTIONALLY AND DELIBERATELY MAKE A LARGE INVESTMENT, KNOWING THAT IT WOULD RESULT IN AN INABILITY TO PAY ITS DEPOSITORS ON DEMAND?

As we get further into all the pending litigation against HAMILTON RESERVE BANK of Nevis, which are cases filed by depositors, after the bank failed to remit to them any portion of the demand deposits they had at the bank, a new and extremely disturbing allegation has surfaced. One claimant has alleged that the bank's large SRI LANKA investment was willfully made by bank officers, knowing that it would result in the bank's inability to pay its existing depositors from their accounts.

If true, criminal liability could attach to the bank officers who made that decision; one has been named, but we are refraining from identifying him, due to a pending investigation, and public disclosure might spur him to relocate to an extradition-proof jurisdiction. As there are bank officers with dark pasts and dodgy history, most compliance officers can easily figure out the answer, which will eventually surface in the cases failed by unhappy depositors, who have now become victims of what is alleged to be fraudulent conduct.

As we delve deeper and deeper into the active and pending litigation against Hamilton Reserve Bank, more details will emerge; stay tuned.

THE OECS, NOW LED BY ANTIGUA PM GASTON BROWNE, WILL NOW DESPERATELY PETITION THE EU TO KEEP ITS VISA FREE STATUS; DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH, GASTON

It appears that GASTON BROWNE, now Chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), cannot read; the EU, in a major policy statement, has ruled that it will no longer extend visa-free entry to any jurisdiction that sells economic Citizenships (CBI/CIP). This essentially removes the sole major benefit that attracts individuals from high-risk countries to Caribbean CBI passports., and as this Fall, the EU initiates 100% screening of visitors via its ETIAS scheme, there will be an existential threat to the lucrative CBI programs that have supported dysfunctional Caribbean economies for decades, hence the OECS, and Browne's fears for an insolvent Antiguan Government unable to pay its swollen and often superfluous staff.

Remember, the EU, which has forced its Members to terminate, with prejudice, all three of its former CBI programs ( Cyprus, Bulgaria and Malta), due to a lack of actual residency, contact with and knowledge of local culture, and direct ties with their adopted state, and this is an ironclad decision in its part. The OECS will not bend, and Browne, who faces potential indictment in the United States in any one of three Federal criminal cases ( Maduro, Saab Moran and a new yet unfiled Miami case), is feeling pressure from his constituents, who fear the CIP gravy train is coming to and end, and are still angry about their loss of US visa privileges.

The choice of Browne to be Chairman, through the rotation, was a poor and
dangerous act on the part of the OECS, whose other Members may now face adverse actions they did not choose to endure, should Browne alienate the EU, the US or the UK, through his acts and needs whilst in office. Browne could inflict pain on all of the regional members, as they have no control over him; Things are about to get worse.

NEVIS, WHERE THE OFFSHORE BANKS ARE HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR DEPOSITS; THEY JUST WON'T GIVE THEM BACK. WILL PREMIER BRANTLEY NOW BE FORCED TO RESIGN FOR THIS SCANDAL?

We have continued to cover this serious SKN problem; wealthy customers, having made six or seven figure deposits into two prominent offshore banks in NEVIS, then later seeking to make withdrawals, meet with delays, excuses, and technical obstacles, all amounting to a flat refusal from HAMILTON RESERVE BANK and BONI BANK (BANK OF NEW INNOVATION LIMITED f/k/a BANK OF NEVIS INTERNATIONAL). Some of the ensuing litigation regarding Hamilton has appeared here in our previous articles, but now multiple lawsuits reveal a situation completely out of control, threatening the very fabric of Nevis itself, and propelling its popular Premier, MARK BRANTLEY, who also holds the finance portfolio, towards resignation, or worse.

Nevis Premier Mark Brantley

Our readers are quite familiar with the sordid details regarding Hamilton Reserve Bank, AMERICAN-OWNED COMPANY, HAVING LOST $50m DEPOSITED IN NOW TOTALLY INSOLVENT HAMILTON RESERVE BANK, SUES NEVIS REGULATOR, MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO RECOVER ITS FUNDS

https://rijock.blogspot.com/2026/02/american-owned-company-having-lost-50m.html

but now multiple lawsuits are pending from other depositors, as well as against BONi BANK, and some are well on their way towards becoming final judgments come September. It gets worse; some bank customers are going after the Nevis FINANCIAL SERVICES REGULATORY COMMISSION (FSRC); that could totally collapse this financial house of cards. There are also whistleblowers' complaints that we intend to report on.

While we will be analyzing the litigation in painful detail in upcoming articles, but wanted to put this overview into print first, lest any potential bank customers, seeing the still-posted adverts for these banks make the fatal financial mistake of opening accounts. Given that there may be other hidden dangers, financial or otherwise, lurking in Nevis, we strongly everyone to give the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis a wide berth at this time, for all purposes, for Consumers may think they are dealing with St. Kitts financial professionals, but are actually working with Nevisian fraudsters.

Readers are urged to stay tuned for our follow-up articles here; Your financial health and welfare may depend upon it. Whether Premier Mark Brantley politically survives the upcoming financial firestorm is dubious, so financial trauma may translate into an attack upon political stability itself.

ANTIGUA, WHERE THE AMBASSADOR IS A HAIRDRESSER

Meet DR. DAVE RAY, designated Ambassador-at-Large by Antigua's Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Mr. Ray, who calls himself Doctor, after he was awarded an honorary doctorate by an online entity in Estonia that has no academic credentials, is a cosmetologist living and working in the United States. He of course has no diplomatic posting, position or responsibility, no qualifying training, education or experience, but he sees fit to comment daily on Antigua's international political problems, panning any and all who are critical of PM Browne's China cheerleading propaganda, complete with profanity and ungrammatical commentary on social media.

Ray is the poster child for all that is wrong with the Caribbean's arbitrary promotion of individuals whose diplomatic credentials are not only a violation of the Vienna Convention and of the procedures of the United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service, but which allow criminals to skirt customs and immigration at international airports of entry. Antigua's diplomatic passport handouts are a running joke; no wonder the country objected to having their "diplomats" named and shamed.

Read my article, if you question my judgment:
ANTIGUA CORRUPTION DISCOVERY PROCEEDING YIELD COMPLETE OFFICIAL LIST OF DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT HOLDERS, MANY OF WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ISSUED: https://lnkd.in/eSdhCtJs

Then again, you may get a substantial discount on your next haircut, if you refer to "Doctor" Ray as Ambassador, should you encounter him.

THE ASSUMPTION OF ANTIGUA'S PRIME MINISTER TO THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE OECS WILL POLARIZE THE STATES OF THE REGION, AND FURTHER ISOLATE THEM FROM THE UNITED STATES, WITH CONSEQUENCES

Uncle Sam gazes towards the Peoples' Republic

This week, Antigua's Prime Minister, GASTON BROWNE, became Chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Browne, whose very public pro-China political stance has alienated his two island nation from the current American administration, and who has now called for creating a united front for the countries of the region, including " championing the interests of Small Island Developing States," which the U.S. has interpreted as moving the OECS Members closer to China and Cuba, both totalitarian states whose political systems oppose the democratic principles that both America, and the EC jurisdictions themselves, espouse.

Browne is rapidly pushing Antigua towards an even closer economic, social, political and linguistic relationship with China, whose increasing influence in the Caribbean represents a national security threat to the United States. This will eventually result in the imposition of additional hardships upon Antiguans, who already are extremely unhappy with the loss of visa privileges. Any pro-China political moves by Browne, in his capacity as OECS Chairman, will be seen as dangerous by the American Government, and will most likely have unintended consequences for individuals Antiguans.

If Antigua's government doesn't change its ways, things are likely to get ugly as the expected American actions against the regime in Cuba, could effect Antigua, as well as the rest of the OECS Members who have chosen China and Cuba over democracy. Remember, it was US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (later President) who created the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, and the present holder of that office, Marco Rubio, has clearly stated that he intends to enforce it. It would be folly for Antigua to underestimate him.

FUGITIVE BULGARIAN CRYPTOQUEEN RUJA IGNATOVA'S MIAMI LAWYER NOW SERVING TEN YEARS FOR AIDING HER MASSIVE FRAUD

RUJA

She may be on the FBI Most Wanted List, and missing for years, but apparently not forgotten, as her Miami attorney, MARK S. SCOTT, just now began serving a decade in Federal Prison for assisting her in the massive ($4bn) ONECOIN fraud & Ponzi scheme. Scott, who was convicted of money laundering and bank fraud, cleaned her criminal proceeds through shell companies and bogus investment funds, has lost his appeal, and has commenced his sentence at Miami FCI.

MARK S. SCOTT

Is Ruja dead, or has she just cleverly changed her appearance and identity? Most media disagrees on whether she is still alive, but the mystery remains.

THE ST. KITTS POLITICAL PARTY THAT COULDN'T HANDLE THE REALITY THAT ITS FOUNDER WAS A MONEY LAUNDERER AND TERRORIST FINANCIER

                              

Having read that the current leader of Saint Kitts & Nevis PEOPLES' ACTION MOVEMENT has disputed the truth about its principal founder, WILLIAM VALENTINE HERBERT, JR., I hasten to correct the record. More than 40 years ago, I was a young Vietnam Veteran working as a lawyer who chose to throw his lot in with a number of other cynical veterans whose response to America's Draconian laws on marijuana use was to get involved in the lucrative narcotics trade. During a period when I had no moral compass, I laundered the proceeds of crime for drug traffickers in the then largely unregulated tax havens of the Caribbean. I make no excuses for my poor choices at that time in my life.

During that time I worked extensively with "Billy" Herbert, who helped with the money laundering, formed bearer share companies for me, assisted with anonymous UK vessel registrations, and involved me and my criminal clients in applying for the new Citizenship by Investment (CBI) economic passport scheme in Saint Kitts. Those activities later ground to a halt when a joint Scotland Yard/DEA task force, chasing millions of Pounds stolen in a major UK heist, ended up in attorney Herbert's chambers, where it found that he represented many foreign criminal clients. The rest is history, and to deny the truth of that period, for purely partisan political purposes, is error on both sides.

It is well know that I am not a fan of St. Kitts' Labour Party, but to ignore your country's dark past is to only invite future citizens to make those mistakes again. It is especially important, because Doctor Herbert's most egregious sin was to facilitate terrorist financing for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which was responsible for his untimely and violent demise, just one of many facts that Saint Kitts as a nation chooses to forget, and sweep into the dustbin of history.

For those who wish the turbulent 1980s had never occurred, you must come to terms with it, starting with uncovering now declassified information from the UK and US, as my statements are based upon facts, and can be confirmed through research and reasonable inquiry. Kittitians, if you don't care about your history, future generations may be doomed to repeat those mistakes once again. I have come to terms regarding my role in that period; I suggest you do the same.

WILL THE UNITED STATES GIVE ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA THE VENEZUELA TREATMENT AFTER A FRAUDULENT AND CORRUPT NATIONAL ELECTION RETURNED AN ILLEGALLY-ELECTED LEADER TO OFFICE?

In the aftermath of a National Election so poisoned by the widespread payment of cash to buy votes, the doling out of the promise of lucrative jobs, and the handing out of other illegal compensation, all designed to throw the election to the incumbent Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), thereby disqualifying all those who corruptly cruised into office, should the United States treat it as illegal, and take the type of action against Antigua's leader that it did earlier this year against Venezuela? That is the question.

Many legal experts in the United States are aware that Antigua's Prime Minister, GASTON BROWNE, who could already have a sealed Federal indictment handed down against him, in either the MADURO case in New York, or the SAAB MORAN case in Miami, or be named in the expected upcoming financial crime case, or by reason of his conduct in the ALFA NERO scandal, has reportedly been implicated, and faces potential exposure to money laundering , fraud and corruption here. A similar fact pattern was the case with former Venezuelan President NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, was forcefully removed from office, detained and taken to New York to face the music. Browne's close relationship with Maduro was more than just friendship.

The question arises: in the contact of America's move against Cuba, how many of the Cuban autocratic regime's political allies in the Eastern Caribbean will also find themselves on the receiving end of our criminal justice system this Fall, due to their own sins and transgressions? Leaders who fail to conduct free and fair elections deserve to be held accountable; the world is watching.

SAINT KITTS CHARGES PAUL BILZARIAN IN A $50m MONEY LAUNDERING CASE, AS HIS ANTI-SEMITIC INFLUENCER SON DAN ANNOUNCES A RUN FOR U.S. CONGRESS

Paul Bilzarian Mugshot

The expat American fugitive Paul Bilzerian is not merely the father of Internet influencer, hedonist and anti-semite Dan Bilzerian, he is a convicted felon, who served time in Federal Prison for major white collar crime, and wanted in the United States on new and serious charged, In 1989, Paul Bilzerian was convicted on nine federal counts, including securities fraud, false statements to the SEC, and conspiracy. A U.S. appeals court later affirmed that conviction. After his release from custody, where he was lionized by his fellow inmates for his successes as a corporate criminal, he acquired a CBI passport in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and relocated there, taking advantage of that country's protection afforded carrier criminals who purchase economic citizenship. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new federal indictment against Paul Bilzerian, describing him as a “convicted corporate raider” and alleging conspiracy and fraud connected to efforts to avoid an SEC judgment that had grown to more than $180 million, in connection with his son's purported business operation.

Now, Saint Kitts and Nevis authorities have announced that Paul Bilzerian is among three people charged in an alleged US$50 million money-laundering and fraud scheme. Bilzarian's wife is among the other defendants. According to information publicly released by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the alleged scheme ran from November 2018 to July 2024, and the investigation remains ongoing. 
This new case lands while Dan Bilzerian, Paul’s son, continues to face public criticism for repeated Internet-based antisemitic attacks and inflammatory rhetoric directed at Jews and Israel. The father’s record is a matter of criminal and regulatory history; the son’s public conduct is a matter of influence, platform, and moral responsibility. He has announced a run for United States Congress from Florida.

Automatic weapons, girls and anti-semitism all rolled up into one

Together, they raise a larger question: how did a family already surrounded by U.S. fraud history, SEC battles, and extremist public rhetoric become connected to Saint Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean nation already under international scrutiny for financial crime and passport-risk issues, and how did they ever qualify for SKN CBI passports? This confirms that, in Basseterre, the CIU will sell economic citizenships to the Devil himself, if he has the cash, in US Dollars.

MONTREAL MANAGEMENT SAYS IT WILL SHUT DOWN CONSTRUCTION ON DOMINICA'S NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SOON IF GOVERNMENT DOESN'T PAY CONSTRUCTION COSTS NOW IN DEFAULT, WHICH COME SOLELY FROM CBI REVENUE

Will this airport never be built?

In an interview on local Caribbean media, CAL MURAD, the Project Director of MMC Development, bluntly stated that, if Dominica fails to make the agreed payment, the entire project will be "SUSPENDED" in August or September. He pointed out that the figure is less than one half of what is actually owed under the contract. Civil litigation, filed by MMCE was reportedly paused and settled by the parties, but is now active again, according to multiple reports, and MMCE public statements, although there appears to be an active PR campaign to downplay the financial situation.

The funding that Dominica is using to pay for the airport is coming 100% from the CBI (Citizenship by Investment) economic passport program, and given the opaque nature of how the government reveals details of the program's operation, especially regarding statements of Prime Minister ROOSEVELT SKERRIT, we are unable to determine whether there is sufficient incoming revenue to pay the airport costs, or whether this is a negotiation ploy by Dominica to secure a more favourable arrangement with Montreal Management. We will continue to monitor unfolding developments as they occur.

MONTREAL MANAGEMENT'S ILLEGALLY DISCOUNTED DOMINICA CITIZENSHIPS AREN'T COVERING THE COSTS OF BUILDING THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT; WILL ROOSEVELT SKERRIT, UNDER PRESSURE, CALL A SNAP ELECTION THIS FALL?

If you read Caribbean media daily, you know that whilst both Montreal Management and the Government of Dominica are trying to suppress details of the litigation and arbitration proceedings, as Dominica's current CBI revenue is woefully insufficient to cover ongoing construction and materials costs of the international airport project, and MMCE is seriously out of pocket on costs advanced.

No wonder, given that Montreal Management is selling Dominica CBI passports in the Middle East, for as little as USD$45k, and its two competitors with local projects are following suit. Unless and until MMCE starts charging the legal amount to purchasers, it will take many thousands of passport sales to keep the airport project from grinding to a sudden, and permanent, halt. Rumours of serious cash deficiencies there, due to Dominica's lack of timely payments, must be making Anthony crazy of late. Will this be the end of Roosevelt Skerrit's dream of endless American tourists flooding into the Commonwealth? Stay tuned.

THE USE OF CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT (CBI) PASSPORTS TO ENTER EUROPE, AND PROMPTLY SEEK ASYLUM

Our recent article DID IRELAND IMPOSE VISA RESTRICTIONS ON ST. KITTS & ST. LUCIA TO KEEP UK-BOUND MONEY LAUNDERERS FROM EXPLOITING THE COMMON TRAVEL AREA LOOPHOLE? https://lnkd.in/eFqqDzpr exposed the fact that a CBI-facilitated loophole existing, regarding travel amongst the British Isles, which could be exploited by enterprising money launderers bound for the City, has now apparently been closed by Ireland. Visas are now required to enter Ireland, when using a Saint Kitts & Nevis, or a Saint Lucia, passport, including diplomatic & special passports. Those are both CBI states, notorious for selling passports to dodgy applicants, with zero effective due diligence, as we have reported here for years.

Apparently there is a more troubling reason that individuals have been slipping into the Republic of Ireland: transiting into the UK, via the Isle of Man ( also being conveniently within that Common Travel Area) and then immediately requesting asylum. This reportedly has become quite a problem.

For those who wonder why someone who supposedly spends six figures for an economic citizenship would want to claim asylum in the United Kingdom, you are forgetting that Dirty Little Secret: many Caribbean have been, and still are, sold at an illegal, deep discount. (Thank you, Dominica; only $45k) Also many extended families or four or more get that prized passport with one application; this means children or siblings of applicants in an extended family, who themselves paid nothing for their passport, can then use it to enter Britain, and then build a life there, once they apply for asylum, on political or persecution grounds.

Our friends report that Aer Lingus is now seeking to shut that door by requiring passports on the Dublin to IOM flights, but arrangements are not being made on the ferry runs, thus far. Whether we actually see individuals taking more

desperate measures to enter Britain, sneaking into Northern Ireland from Eire, or chartering a private vessel to cross the Irish Sea to the British shore, we cannot say, but we hope Irish authorities take additional steps to require ALL Caribbean CBI passport holders, from the additional three states                  (Dominica, Antigua and Grenada) also cannot enter visa-free any more. There have been instances of Dominica passport holders pulling this scam, so a plague on all those jurisdictions, please.