Exclusive: Trump Media saved in 2022 by Russian-American under criminal investigation

[sl8]

Source: The Guardian


Trump’s social media company went public relying partly on loans from trust managed by person of interest to prosecutors

Hugo Lowell
Wed 3 Apr 2024 06.00 EDT

Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media managed to go public last week only after it had been kept afloat in 2022 by emergency loans provided in part by a Russian-American businessman under scrutiny in a federal insider-trading and money-laundering investigation.

[...]

The situation led Trump Media to take emergency loans, including from an entity called ES Family Trust, which opened an account with Paxum Bank, a small bank registered on the Caribbean island of Dominica that is best known for providing financial services to the porn industry.

Through leaked documents, the Guardian has learned that ES Family Trust operated like a shell company for a Russian-American businessman named Anton Postolnikov, who co-owns Paxum Bank and has been a subject of a years-long joint federal criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into the Trump Media merger.

[...]

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/03/trump-media-es-family-trust-2022-loans

[dalton99a]

1. Anton Postolnikov:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article284580595.html
Russian investor made millions off insider trading tied to Trump Media, court docs say
By Ben Wieder and Jay Weaver
Updated January 24, 2024 6:03 PM

[Botany]

3. When is our "liberal media" going to report that Russia has been carrying on a war on America...

… and its democracy for years?


From Trump to the Putin boot lickers in Congress, their use of places
like Fox to sew misinformation, and ongoing cyber attacks such as false
information about C-19 and the vaccines for it are just a small part of Vlad’s
war on America and western democracies.

Btw didn’t some of Trump’s bond money have Russian connections too?

[gab13by13]

4. Botany, this was posted here an hour ago

and there have been 3 replies. Putin could write a check to Trump for a billion dollars and he could cash it at Axos bank and no one will give a shit.

Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to indict Hunter Biden for tax fraud for taxes he paid back, a crime that is rarely charged. Hunter will be indicted for tax fraud and lying on a gun application, meanwhile Benedict Donald is allowed to launder money from Putin right out in the open. Where is the freaking special counsel, a pro-Biden special counsel, to investigate Trump's money laundering?

This story will be dead by tonight.

[thesquanderer]

5. 60 Minutes just reported on a Russia connection to "Havana syndrome" (n/t)

[mopinko]

14. dont forget all the rubles distributed by the nra.

anyone in their right mind knew long ago that they werent bribing pols w member dues.
no one bothered to follow the money, even after a bunch of pols went to moscow for a ‘gun rights seminar’. there r no gun rights in russia.

[gab13by13]

2. More from the link

"It is unclear whether federal prosecutors are aware that Trump Media was propped up by Postolnikov via ES Family Trust. At the same time, the money-laundering investigation surrounding the Trump Media merger and the scrutiny on Postolnikov appears to have ballooned in recent months.

The investigation into potential money laundering appears to have started after Wilkerson’s lawyers Phil Brewster, Stephen Bell and Patrick Mincey alerted the US attorney’s office in the southern district of New York to the ES Family Trust loans in October 2022.

Months later, in June 2023, the FBI expanded its investigation to work jointly with the Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado taskforce, which specializes in money laundering, and its Illicit Proceeds and Foreign Corruption group, which targets corrupt foreign officials who use US entities to launder illicit funds."

If the Feds are investigating this and it has anything remotely to do with Trump it will get shut down so as to not appear to be partisan.

I only saw this story reported on "Raw Story" and "The Guardian" I guarantee that this will get swept under the rug seeing as Trump needs money from somewhere. Business as usual for Trump.

No one on DU even wants to hit on this so why bother talking about it? Just let Trump do whatever.

Meanwhile James Comer is still going after Hunter and Joe Biden and that will make the news today.

[Irish_Dem]

7. The FBI appears to be involved with the Russian scheme.

Of course the FBI has known about the Russian interference in our democracy.
They have been a part of the rat-fucking.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Come on. TSF only knows the "best oeople".

[SergeStorms]

8. Like Nancy Pelosi said....

"With you (Trump) all roads lead to Putin."

Since there isn't a wealthy Russian alive who didn't get wealthy without Putin's direct permission (and kickbacks), truer words were never spoken.

[louis-t]

9. Hmm, I thought Hillary Clinton said that.

[SergeStorms]

11. It was Nancy.....

in a meeting with Trump and his advisors. She was standing while everyone else was seated, pointing directly at Trump who was sitting across from her.

There was a picture that went viral and I'd post it if I wasn't on my phone.

[Maggiemayhem]

10. The problem is anyone other than an older boomer

has no recollection of the Cold War. They think it is overkill and have no fear of nuclear war. No concept of MAD. No duck and cover. No fallout shelters. They do not consider Russia to be an enemy.

[orangecrush]

12. Not true

If they have served in the military.

[SergeStorms]

15. Do you mean.....

they lied to us about sitting with our backs to the wall and covering our heads with our hands? 🥴

I'm glad I didn't know that back then! 😱

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

13. When Rudy took down the Italian families in NYC, he let the Russians fill the vacuum...

... I recall noticing that 20+ years ago and had discussions on these facts in politics chatrooms (Yahoo).