AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN LINKED TO THE PRESIDENT'S ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH FEDERAL CAMPAIGN VIOLATIONS

Four individuals were indicted, in US District Court in New York, with campaign law violations in the Ukraine corruption scandal;  two of them as linked to the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Named in the indictment are:
LEV PARNAS
IGOR FRUMAN
DAVID CORREIA
ANDREY KUKUSHKIN

Readers who wish to review the 21-page Indictment may access the complete text here.

NIKOLAY KOZACHEK, RUSSIAN GRU CAPTAIN-LIEUTENANT, WANTED FOR 2016 US ELECTION HACKING, MONEY LAUNDERING

TRUMP TOLD HIS SECRETARY OF STATE TO TELL DOJ TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST REZA ZARRAB

Major media outlets are reporting that in 2017 President Trump asked then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to lean on the Department of Justice to drop criminal charges on the Iranian oil-for-gas kingpin, Reza Zarrab. The Secretary refused, as he knew that seeking to interfere with an ongoing Federal criminal case is illegal. Obviously, someone else wasn't paying attention in college.   

We know that Zarrab was a client of Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, after he and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey visited Turkish President Recip Erdowan, where a possible transfer of Zarrab to Turkish custody was discussed. Zarrab lived most of his adult life in Turkey, and was a dual national. He allegedly traded Iranian crude oil for gold.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT HOLDS FBI VIOLATED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF US CITIZENS

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has released an unclassified (partially redacted) version of an October 2018 Opinion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, where the FISA Court found that the FBI's warrantless  searches of databases violated the Fourth Amendment rights of US citizens. Apparently only evidence of crimes, or foreign intelligence data, are permissible, in connection with the warrantless communication surveillance program.

Given that we so rarely see FISA Court decisions and opinions, readers are urged to review the 138-page document here.

READ OPEN LETTER FROM 300 NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS REGARDING WHISTLEBLOWER

Here are the first two pages of the six page document, which contains over three hundred signatures in support of the Whistleblower who filed a complaint in the Trump Ukraine corruption scandal.

SERGEY KLINOV, EXPORTED CONTROLLED DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGY FOR RUSSIAN MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

ANTIGUA POWERBROKERS REQUEST TERMS TO PURCHASE SCOTIABANK BRANCH THERE, BUT THE BANK DECLINES DUE TO TRUST ISSUES

Reports from Antigua regarding the unsuccessful efforts by that country's leaders to acquire the local branch of Scotiabank are extremely disturbing, for they describe a corrupt scheme to buy the facility, with its  substantial deposits, on a basis which could lead to massive fraud and corruption, causing the eventual insolvency of the bank, and a default in payment to Scotiabank of the purchase price. 

Here is what we know so far; you are cautioned that not all the information has been confirmed, though the sources are well-established, with a long record of accuracy:

(1) Antigua's government leaders pleaded poverty to Scotiabank officials, alleging that local businessmen and indigenous bank owners did not have the purchase price; they reportedly asked for term payments, over several years, even though they had sufficient cash for a purchase.

(2) When an insider stated an intention to take the detail of terms, and the professed inability of the buyers to pay in full at this time, that person was threatened with criminal prosecution, an obvious political charge. Reports of millions of dollars, in the possession of senior government officials, and their political allies, obtained through corrupt and illegal acts, demonstrate that the buyers merely want access to the deposits, and do not intend to pay for the bank from their own pockets.

(2) Scotiabank officials declined any contract that involved terms, most likely because Antigua has a long and sordid history of deliberate bank failures, due to government loan repayment defaults, government breaches of financial and constitutional obligations, and a local judicial system that protects the government, at the expense of private sector creditors. There is a long list of failed Antiguan banks, and Scotiabank is taking that into consideration, among other factors.

(3) Payment for the bank on a long-term basis could lead to the new ownership simply borrowing the money for the payments from the bank they bought, and then intentionally failing to repay it when due, leading to the insolvency of yet another Antiguan bank. Bank fraud, on a massive scale, appears to be  the goal of the purchasers, who have not been specifically identified by the government.

It is expected that Scotiabank will simply refund all deposits to its Antigua clients, and close the facility, due to the aforementioned trust issues.

BANNED FOR LIFE, ALASKAN STOCKBROKER THUMBS HIS NOSE AT FINRA AND S.E.C. FROM OFFSHORE, SELLING UNREGISTERED SECURITIES TO AMERICANS

His name is Gary James Lundgren; after a half dozen regulatory actions were filed against him, FINRA banned him from selling securities for life. His response; working from a safe haven in the Republic of Panama, he sells unregistered securities posing as "bonds" to American investors, using Panamanian corporation with the same name as his defunct State of Washington broker-dealer, INTERPACIFIC INVESTORS.

He flaunts his protected status, operating his secure Panama City office, protected by multiple bodyguards, in case any of his victims decide to take matters into their own hands. he originally fled the United States after Sexual Predator and environmental law violations were filed against him in the State of Washington, where he operated his brokerage from outside the Continental United States.  We have covered his career as a fraudster extensively on this blog; please type his name in the Search Box to review those stories.

What he calls "bonds," allegedly paid from the proceeds of sales and rentals of his properties, meet the classic test of what constitutes a security under Federal law. He offers them to Americans, apparently safe from arrest, operating from Central America's most notorious tax haven.

Lundgren's website selling unregistered securities

While the Securities & Exchange Commission and FINRA may not be able to obtain personal jurisdiction over Lundgren, it is high time that these agencies find a way to bring this fraudster to justice, in a Federal Courtroom in the United States.

 

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP'S ACCOUNTANT TO TURN OVER HIS TAX RETURNS TO NY DISTRICT ATTTORNEY

The US District Court Judge assigned to the case where Trump sued to prevent the New York District Attorney from acquiring eight years of his tax returns, in the hush money investigation, has ruled that the documents must be turned over. The Court further noted that the argument of Trump's private attorneys, that he was immune from criminal investigation of any kind, while in office, was fatally flawed, and not supported by law. Read the 75-page Opinion here.

CANADIAN BANKS ARE PULLING OUT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

In the aftermath of the very public controversy over the attempts of Antiguan business and political interests to forcefully acquire the local branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), rather than see it sold to the Trinidad-based Republic Bank, it has been widely reported that all Canadian banks operating in Antigua are in the process of closing down their local facilities, and withdrawing all service.

While the specific reason for pulling out of Antigua has not been identified, most seasoned observers of the local banking scene agree that at least one these issues is the most likely candidate:

(1) The failure of financial institutions in Antigua to institute effective Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing compliance programs, sufficient to meet banking best practices standards in the United States & Canada.

(2) The risks posed by the dodgy foreign purchasers of Citizenship by Investment (CBI/CIP) and diplomatic passports, whose fees and costs are flowing through local banks.

(3) Ongoing De-Risking operations, which have reduced and eliminated the delivery of correspondent banking services for Antigua, from North American and European banks.

(4) What has been described as a "Culture of Corruption," where unresolved and uncharged cases of official corruption, at the ministerial level and above,are ignored by local prosecutors and law enforcement.

(5) A flawed court system that allows indefinite delays, facilitated by the local judiciary, to deny justice, and to violate the Rule of Law.

Compliance officers at international banks should take note of these actions of Canadian banks, when assessing Country Risk for Antigua and Barbuda.

RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE AGENTS WANTED FOR INTERFERENCE IN 2016 US ELECTIONS

IS YOUR NEW CLIENT A HIDDEN PEP ? USE SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS TO FIND OUT

Compliance officers at international banks that welcome affluent foreign clients must be able to identify individuals who, while they profess to be private businessmen, are in truth and fact actually Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) seeking to deposit  the proceeds of crime, especially bribery or kickback money, into their bank, and thereby effectively launder it. These individuals, who typically come from countries in the developing world where anti-corruption efforts are ineffective or absent, represent a major threat to your bank's reputation, should their true PEP status be later revealed during a very public criminal proceeding appearing in the media.

Your hidden PEP may be:

(1) A corrupt member of his country's military, appearing at your bank in civilian attire, and the business he leads might be simply a government-controlled and owned corporation.

(2) A close relative of a very senior government official, who just happens to have a last name different from the source of illicit cash stolen from a government treasury account, because he married into the official's family, or his father did.

(3) The paramour of a leader of his or her country, who is entrusted with placing, and ultimately laundering, criminal proceeds of that individual.

(4) The head of a charity or nonprofit entity, or a senior officer, that is missing a substantial sum from its accounts.   

(5) A government purchasing agent for a ministry with a huge budget, who is embezzling funds on a grand scale, and bribing anyone in his country who  are facilitating that activity, by opening foreign bank accounts for those individuals, in your bank.

 While there is no single foolproof method for uncovering a hidden or undisclosed PEP, many compliance officers routinely access social media and social networking websites, during their due diligence inquiry into new accounts, to seek whether their client appears anywhere. Detailed  information about the client's family members, professional associations, university or social club membership history, participation in or attendance at charitable or sports events, all may provide clues as to his true status as a Politically Exposed Person.

Is he related to a government official who has access to funds ? Is he really a member of government ? Was his occupation or profession, which may provide a clue to his PEP status, hidden from the bank ? Searching for his image on social media, using your available facial recognition software technology, may provide information that was artfully not disclosed at account opening.

Hidden PEPs will open an account, and wait patiently for an initial period, after which routine scrutiny of new accounts typically lapses, before moving large amounts of money through them. By seeking to expose any hidden PEPs through a thorough initial search of social media and social networking resources, using facial recognition software, you may be able to rule out the client as a PEP, and minimize the risk that he will later quietly launder criminal proceeds through his new account.

IRAN BREACHES ITS PROMISES TO UK, OFFLOADS AND DELIVERS SANCTIONED OIL TO SYRIA

In yet another example its total lack of truthfulness, the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently delivering the sanctioned $130m of crude oil that it swore to the United Kingdom and Gibraltar would would never end up in Syrian hands. What you are seeing above is the Iranian tanker Jasmine, anchored alongside the Adrian Darya I (ex-Grace I) with mooring lines attached, and a deployed crane, on what is obviously an offload-in-progress.

JOHN ANTHONY PORCARO, FUGITIVE MONEY LAUNDERER & FRAUDSTER, MOVED LAUNDERED CASH TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

KEY WEST MAN WHO WIRED $87k TO NIGERIA INDICTED FOR MONEY LAUNDERING

Sean Kerwin Bindranauth, a resident of Key West, Florida, has been indicted on multiple money laundering counts in US District Court. The defendant, who reportedly wired $87,000 to an account in Nigeria at the United Bank of Africa, has two prior felony convictions, one of which was for drugs. The funds were transmitted in five separate payments.

The defendant's charges, which could result in a very long sentence if imposed consecutively:
(1) Seven counts of money laundering.
(2) One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
(3) One count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting entity.