Paul Manafort's Puzzling New York Real Estate Purchases

[demmiblue]

Source: WNYC

...

Real estate and law enforcement experts say some of these transactions fit a pattern used in money laundering; together, they raise questions about Manafort’s activities in the New York City property market while he also was consulting for business and political leaders in the former Soviet Union.

Between 2006 and 2013, Manafort bought three homes in New York City, paying the full amount each time, so there was no mortgage.

Then, between April 2015 and January 2017 – a time span that included his service with the Trump campaign – Manafort borrowed about $12 million against those three New York City homes: one in Trump Tower, one in Soho, and one in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

Manafort’s New York City transactions follow a pattern: Using shell companies, he purchased the homes in all-cash deals, then transferred the properties into his own name for no money and then took out hefty mortgages against them, according to property records.

Read more: http://www.wnyc.org/story/paul-manaforts-puzzling-new-york-real-estate-purchases/

[Botany]

1. Money Laundering for his Russian/Ukraine funds

n/t

[PoliticAverse]

2. Also being discussed in General Discussion here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028862197

[George II]

3. The man and his family are multi-multi millionaires (maybe even billionaires)....

...and they have millions of dollars worth of real estate in Connecticut (and probably elsewhere)

Why would he need to borrow $12M against NYC properties? Why not his local properties?

By the way, his local newspaper, the New Britain (CT) Herald called this a year ago:

http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/article_63d96c94-0430-11e6-b6db-8ff5766f9ac2.html

Trump just hired the next scandal

Here is an irony of the 2016 election season. The candidate promising voters that he won’t be influenced by Washington lobbyists is counting on the influence of a Washington lobbyist to save his presidential campaign.

Late last month Donald Trump hired Paul Manafort — who has represented his organization in Washington — to make sure his delegates at this summer’s convention in Cleveland actually end up voting for him. And for this task, Manafort is well qualified. He ran delegate operations for the campaigns of Gerald Ford in 1976 and Bob Dole in 1996.

But Manafort’s real specialty is in the netherworld of international lobbying. Trump has criticized both parties as selling out the U.S. to foreign interests. Now he is counting on a man who has represented many of them.

Manafort has offered his services to not one but two presidents driven from power through popular revolution — Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. He has lobbied for Saudi Arabia, a Bahamanian president suspected of narco-trafficking and a former Angolan rebel leader accused of torture.

For this work, Manafort has been well compensated. He told a Congressional oversight panel in 1989 that his firm normally accepted only clients who would pay at least $250,000 a year as a retainer.

(more)

[mahina]

4. Wow.

Thanks for that article. Holy Moses.

[Hekate]

5. Kick

[Fast Walker 52]

6. this whole Trump gang is a bunch of crooks... lock them the fuck up!