Monday, November 9, 2015

MONEY LAUNDERING THROUGH LITIGATION FINANCE

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~




Innovative money launderers are constantly on alert for new, and safe, methods of cleaning their clients' proceeds of crime, and of making a return on their "investment" in the process. It was only when a drug-laden smuggling vessel was seized off the coast of California, that US law enforcement learned about the abuse of Life Settlements, the secondary market for life insurance policies, by an insurance agent who was a laundryman in Colombia; we often learn too late about new avenues to launder illicit profits.

The proliferation of litigation financing, also known as litigation funding, in high-stakes civil lawsuits in the United States, should concern trial lawyers, not for ethical reasons, though there are valid issues, but because outside financing of their expensive major cases might be coming from a source of funds that they definitely do not want to accept; money launderers.

Litigation financing occurs in major products liability, personal injury, or several other types of lawsuits, especially where the defendant, or its insurer, has a deep pocket to defend the case. Depositions, pretrial discovery, motions, experts, consultants, investigations, all cost money, and some defense lawyers try to bankrupt litigants, through years of litigation, to force settlements, or even dismissal of cases against their clients.

It is logical that clients with limited means would seek out funding sources, to obtain non-recourse advance funding of pretrial, and trial, litigation costs. the problem is that the law has not yet caught up with this emerging field, and there is no requirement that the Source of Funds, or Beneficial Owner, behind such funding companies be disclosed, or obtained through due diligence. 

Since many offshore hedge funds are getting involved, why not domicile the "lenders" of the funds, to the bogus litigation finance company overseas as well. The lawyers, happy that their costs will be paid in advance, will not examine the golden goose.

Any good money launderer worth his salt could create a company that looks like a legitimate business, and borrows money, to lend out to law firms, for their clients' litigation finance needs. In truth and in fact, the captive litigation finance company is a shell, and it "borrows" funds from other shell companies owned and controlled by the money launderer, and funnels criminal proceeds into the lawsuit. 

After settlement of the case, a check, or wire transfer, from the winner's law firm will rarely, if ever, be subject to any regulatory, or law enforcement, scrutiny.

Only if the law firms conduct enhanced due diligence, in advance, will the wheat be separated from the straw, and illegitimate finding sources be unmasked, and refused. One wonders how many major civil cases have already been funded with drug profits.

DEUTSCHE BANK: THE REGULATORS FINALLY GET ONE RIGHT ON SANCTIONS VIOLATIONS

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~ ~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

We know that fining international banks for sanctions violations is not an effective deterrent, even when the civil fines & penalties are in the multi-million dollar range, for those in command see such costs as the cost of doing business, but I have seen one sanctions violations case recently, worthy of mention. 

Inasmuch as fines alone do not stop the big banks, it is much more effective to also hit back at the individuals themselves who are responsible for the organized sanctions violations. Make sure that the people who actually evaded sanctions are terminated, as publicly as possible.

The New York case, where a whopping $258m fine imposed upon Deutsche Bank AG, for doing business with blacklisted countries, also required the bank to discharge six of the bad actors. Additional players in the sanctions evasion process has already left the bank, and three others transferred, and banned from any duties involving the bank's American operations.

You have got to tip your hat the the New York State Department of Financial Services, for it has been at the forefront of effective enforcement of sanctions laws; it reportedly will receive $200m of the fine payment, at in my humble opinion, it is well earned.



I have a suggestion; name, shame and publish the photographs of all the individuals involved in sanctions evasion, Superintendent Albanese, so that bankers worldwide get the message, loud & clear. Bankers are still constantly accessing my article containing the photographs of BNP Paribas officers who were terminated in its scandal. Out all these financial thugs, please.

GARY LUNDGREN, FACING CLAIMS FROM TRUMP AND OTHERS, SHUTS DOWN IN PANAMA AND WASHINGTON

FROM THE - CHRONICLES Of Andrei Slavenkov Netherlands –  Analyst For Wanted SA ~ Contributed & Written By Kenneth Rijock ~


The Alaskan fraudster operating in anything-goes Panama Panama, Gary James Lundgren, reeling from the publicity generated by the high-profile case against him, filed by the Trump Organization, has begun closing down his dodgy operations. 

Lundgren, who has obviously tired of evading all the angry investors whom he has stopped paying an 8% per month return to, faces an uncertain future, due to multiple investigations reportedly pending against him. 

He refuses to personally meet clients, for fear that he will suffer physical harm at the hands of clients who have threatened him; he takes various, circuitous, routes to his office each day, and has increased security there.

In the Republic of Panama, his securities company, an unlicensed Panamanian branch of his US company, Interpacific Investors Services, has been ordered closed by the Government of Panama. In the United States, his business in Washington State is transferring all its existing clients to a national securities firm, and closing up its broker-dealer operations, as verified by a press release, making the announcement, though the company receiving this business may want to reexamine the situation.

The steep decline in new tenants, coming into Panama, due to the change in economic activity, and the public perception of a major increase in street crime, has resulted in a large number of vacant condominiums that he controls, meaning that his cash flow has been severely reduced. 

He has a number of civil suits pending against him in the Republic of Panama, and some of his victims, who allege he is guilty of sexual battery, are exploring their legal options.

Will the United States request the extradition of Mr. Lundgren, for securities violations, or will Panama do the honors, for the Petaquilla Mine scandal ? We cannot say, but his problems have multiplied exponentially in 2015.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

SHARON LEXA LAMB LEADER OF CAYMAN GANG OF FOUR THREATENS BLIND INVESTOR WHO ASKED FOR HIS FUNDS

FROM THE - CHRONICLES Of Andrei Slavenkov Netherlands – Analyst For Wanted SA ~ Contributed & Written By Kenneth Rijock ~

LEADER OF CAYMAN GANG OF FOUR THREATENS BLIND INVESTOR WHO ASKED FOR HIS FUNDS


The Cayman Gang of Four are showing signs of desperation lately. A 90-year old American investor, who is blind and disabled, was threatened by the group's leader, Sharon Lexa Lamb, when he again requested that his investment account be returned to him. 

Lamb told the client that, should he continue to ask for his money, she would turn over all his information to the Internal Revenue Service, and that the end result would be a Federal prison term for tax evasion.

Is there nothing the Gang of Four will not do to hold on to the estimated $450m they have stolen from Canadian and American investors ? This is one of the most despicable things they have done to date. 

Lamb had previously delayed refunding the investor his money, by placating him with the story that B & C Capital had to sell off some stock, and then he would receive his $2m, in full. When that lie ran out, she threatened the investors with the dire consequences stated above.

The investor, who has no liability for undeclared income, has decided to proceed with litigation, but, in my humble opinion, no less than a substantial prison time, in a Federal Prison in the United States, is in order, for Sharon Lexa Lamb, as well as the other members of the Cayman Gang of Four, Derek Buntain, Fernando Mota Mendez, and the fugitive, Ryan Bateman.
Lamb, Bateman, Buntain

GARY LUNDGREN & OTHER DIRECTORS WILL BE SUED FOR $75M IN DAMAGES BY TRUMP ORGANIZATION

FROM THE - CHRONICLES Of Andrei Slavenkov Netherlands – Analyst For Wanted SA ~ Contributed & Written By Kenneth Rijock ~

TRUMP SEEKS $75m IN DAMAGES AGAINST GARY LUNDGREN AND OTHER TRUMP OCEAN CLUB DIRECTORS

                   
     
The Trump Organization has brought a claim against the Directors of Panama's Trump Ocean Club, which is led by the American businessman, Gary Lundgren, for $75m, for wrongfully terminating Trump's management agreement with the condominium association. Lundgren is seeking to have his wife take over management of the condominium, and collect the maintenance fees, though she has no training or experience in building management.

The case was reportedly brought before a type of arbitration, and is not public, but details were leaked to American  media, and Trump's New York attorney confirmed the filing. The complaint also alleges that Lundgren has engaged in a wide variety of illegal activity in Panama.

Lundgren and Perez

Gary Lundgren, whose controversial career has been the subject of much media attention, is said to be the owner of the largest number of properties in Trump Ocean Club, allegedly acquired with laundered Colombian narcotics profits, and millions in cash given to him, by the convicted Colombian Ponzi schemer, David Eduardo Helmut Murcia Guzmán, which he later stole, when Murcia was extradited. Witnesses have seen Lundgren present for deposit, at Panamanian banks, $15-16m in cash, in garbage bags, still wet from covert fast-boat transport from Colombia.
 Lundgren allegedly met Murcia through drug cartel kingpins in Medellín,  who are related to Lundgren's wife, Griselda Pérez. Murcia is reported to have laundered two billion dollars, in FARC narco-profits, in Panama.

Griselda Pérez
Lundgren's checkered past, which includes allegations of money laundering of narcotics profits, his status as a known sexual predator in the US and in Panama, and his theft of Panama real estate, owned by expats from North America and Europe, and his failure to pay accrued interest to his investors, should have disqualified him from serving as chairman of the Board of Directors of any public company. 

Lundgren has also been said to have acquired bonds, issued by the corporation that developed the project, Newland, through opaque circumstances.

Lundgren's longtime association with Panamanian attorney Ismael Gerli has led to speculation that Gerli had a role in advising Lundgren in his mysterious acquisition of the bonds,  and acquiring Trump Ocean Club condominium units, for cash. Some Panama observers claim that Lundgren covets the casino license at the building, and also wants to be the recipient of the monthly condominium maintenance payments paid by the unit owners.

Ismael Gerli

We shall keep our readers advised of this developing story as it unfolds.

DUNDEE BANK IN GRAND CAYMAN OPERATED BY CRIMINALS & FRAUDSTERS

FROM THE - CHRONICLES Of Andrei Slavenkov Netherlands – Analyst For Wanted SA ~ Contributed & Written By Kenneth Rijock ~

DUNDEE BANK - OPERATED ILLEGALLY BY FRAUDSTERS - ABRUPTLY CLEANED OUT WHEN SUIT FILED


Grand Cayman's Dundee Merchant Bank,* though ordered liquidated years ago, and which was operating illegally, was abruptly cleaned out, and its computers and bank records removed post haste yesterday, when the news broke that a major civil suit had been filed against it.

The bank has been a base for a $450m trading fraud, perpetrated by the Cayman Gang of Four, a quartet of financial scoundrels who stole from Canadian and American retirees and pensioners.

A review of Cayman Islands public records showed that no liquidation, nor receivership, nor any other permitted class of dissolution of the bank, has ever been initiated, let alone completed, notwithstanding that Canadian regulators has ordered it closed a long time ago. 

The bank has only a Class B banking license, which requires a full-service financial institution as a parent organization, and Canada's Dundee Corporation had sold off its banking arm years ago. Financial media, and even reputable reference materials, have listed Dundee as "in liquidation" for years, meaning that this disinformation was deliberately leaked to the financial press.

The bank had never been liquidated, though Dundee Corporation has claimed that it had completed the necessary actions, and handed off the liquidation to bank management, headed by President Derek Buntain. Mr. Buntain is missing, and is believed to be hiding somewhere in Canada's Atlantic Provinces, possibly Prince Edward Island, where his family resides.

Dundee President Buntain
Witnesses stated that Sharon Lexa Lamb, the Senior Vice President of Dundee Bank, ordered the bank's small Grand Cayman offices stripped, after she was notified by a staff member at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands that a Statement of Claim had been filed, against her, and the bank, alleging massive breaches of fiduciary duty to account holders**.

There are three unanswered questions that deserve attention:

(1) If the bank was in clear violation of Cayman banking laws, why was it allowed to remain in operation by CIMA, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, the relevant government agency charged with regulating the financial sector ? No liquidation was filed, yet media was declaring it as fact. Who was guilty of regulator malpractice at CIMA, and should they not be disciplined for this abject failure ? Also, why didn't CIMA catch Dundee's parent's sale ? Is this not gross negligence ?



(2) If Dundee Corporation did, as it claims, sign off on the liquidation, why was there never any on-site inspection and report, to confirm that it actually was accomplished ? That is basic due diligence, and the fact that a document was issued, under the bank's name, recently, showing Dundee Corporation's Toronto address for Dundee Merchant Bank, in a mailing to clients, suggests that it knew, or should have known, that the bank was still in operation.


(3) Where is Canada's financial regulator, the National Bank of Canada, in all this ? There is no publicly-available document that tells consumers and investors the details of the ordered liquidation, and the authority through which it was ordered. Investors were blindly following word of mouth. Should we not have regulatory filing transparency, especially regarding high-risk, and non-CDIC/FDIC, financial institutions located in offshore financial centers ?


One wonders where the bank's computers, and books & records are. Perhaps someone at the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service might want to step in here, and pay Ms. Lamb, and the rest of the Gang of Four,  a visit.

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* The bank was also trading under the name of Dundee Bank.
** This case shall be covered in a subsequent article.


Wednesday, July 15, 2015

MICHAEL SZAFRANSKI FINANCIAL ADVISER IN ROTHSTEIN PONZI SCHEME TO PLEAD GUILTY

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~

~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

FINANCIAL ADVISER WHO DECEIVED INVESTORS IN ROTHSTEIN PONZI SCHEME TO PLEAD GUILTY


Michael Szafranski
Michael Szafranski, the independent financial adviser who was supposed to examine, and qualify, Scott Rothstein's bogus investments for clients, but ended up taking money from Rothstein, and steering clients to what he knew, or should have known, was a Ponzi scheme, has indicated that he will change his plea to guilty, in US District Court in Florida. it is alleged that he concealed material information about the safety and validity of the Rothstein "investments" in structured out-of-court settlements, and profited from his participation in the massive fraud.

It had been originally anticipated that Szafranski would actually go to trial in his case, but delays in the setting of the trial date raised the possible issue as to whether his attorney was negotiating a plea with the US Attorney's Office. Whether he will be compelled to disgorge the reputed millions of dollars paid to him by Scott Rothstein is not known.

 The case represents a teachable moment in any investment: insure that your financial investment adviser in truly independent, that he does not receive any monetary benefit from referring specific investments to you, and that he does perform due diligence, or enhanced due diligence, and provides you with evidence of this. Remember, Szafranski originally was engaged by a hedge fund to verify the Rothstein investments.


You can be proactive in checking out your adviser;  Is he living above what you believe his means is ? Has he purchased substantial real estate holdings, over and above what he should be capable of buying ? Is he driving a Rolls or Bentley ? Know your adviser, if you trust him with your investment decisions.

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FERNANDO MOTO MENDES – BANKRUPT 2010 & NOW MANAGING CANADIAN FUGITIVE RYAN BATEMAN FINANCIAL GROUPS IN CAYMAN ISLANDS |

~From The Files of Andrei Slavenkov – Director WANTED SA (Netherlands)~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

DODGY NEW MANAGER OF CAYMAN INVESTMENT COMPANY MISLEADS INVESTORS SEEKING WITHDRAWALS


If you were disturbed by our earlier article*, about the fugitive Canadian financier, Ryan Bateman, who fled not only pending criminal charges in the Cayman Islands, but was under investigation by government regulators, it gets worse. Replacing Bateman at the helm of the (unlicensed) B & C Capital Ltd., is Fernando Moto Mendes, whose sordid record on Grand Cayman should have disqualified him from that position, and Mendes has started right off, by misleading foreign clients who have sought to withdraw portions of their holdings.

Mendes has a "colorful" history, in his residence in the Cayman Islands:

(1) In 2010, he failed to pay large debts when due,  which is the textbook definition of insolvency, and a final judgment for USD$ 513,638.78 was entered,  after which the judgment creditors took him into involuntary bankruptcy, in the Financial Services Division of the Grand Court. The Court heard his case in 2011, and he, and his counsel delayed the proceedings a number of times, claiming that payment of the debit was imminent, but no proof was offered for the truth of his assertion.**.

(2) In 2011, Mendes was arrested, and charged with Theft, Attempted Theft, False Accounting, and the Making of a False Statement by a Company Director, in the Finab Ltd. case. Mendes had been the Managing Director of Finab. At his 2014 trial, the Court found that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service had failed to obtain and retain material evidence, which made it impossible for the defendant to have a fair trial, and stayed the proceedings, discharging Mendes. Rumors swirled around Grand Cayman that an illegal payment had been made to certain police officers, which resulted in their failure to secure vital evidence.

                                           

Canadian investors seeking, at this time, to withdraw portions of the assets placed with B & C have been told, by Mendes, that there will have to be certain funds withheld, for Canadian taxation. The truth is that there is no withholding agreement, nor any reciprocal tax agreement, between Cayman & Canada. Given that Bateman is said to have co-mingled investor money with his own, and that some  money may be missing, whether lost, due to Bateman's negligence, or stolen by him, it is likely that B & C, which was recommended by prominent Canadian law firms, does not have the investors' funds.

Is Fernando Mendes a part of Bateman's illegal actions ? In any event, why is he lying about the withholding to clients ? Where is the investors' money, and how did Mendes ever get the position he holds at B & C Capital, with his record ?
_____________________________________________________________________
*Alert for fugitive fraudster from Cayman company hiding out in Miami
**In the Matter of Fernando Mendes, Debtor, Case No.: FRD 243 of 2010; available on the Internet.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

DR. ARTHUR PORTER FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE INTELLIGENCE REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR CSIS (CANADA INTELLIGENCE AGENCY) MURDERED BY PANAMA JUDICIAL SYSTEM |

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Vladimir Feldman  – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

DID PANAMA BANKS DELAY ARTHUR PORTER'S EXTRADITION, TO SEIZE HIS MONEY UPON HIS AVOIDABLE DEATH ?

Dr. Arthur Porter

Dr. Arthur Porter, a prominent Canadian physician, who was accused of diverting tens of millions of dollars, in a major hospital bribery scandal, has died, while in custody, in the Republic of Panama. 

The back story, of his unnecessary and untimely death, paints an ugly and disgusting picture of the avarice of Panama's leading banks, who reportedly maneuvered to delay his extradition. 

The purpose of the delay was to ensure that he would expire in Panama, having large accounts in local banks, which the banks intended to seize and convert to their own use. Porter was allegedly involved in a $22.5m kickback scheme in Canada.

Mr. Porter, who was formerly the chairman of the Intelligence Review Committee, overseeing CSIS, Canada's intelligence agency, had terminal lung cancer, when he was detained in Panama in 2013. 

It has been widely reported in Panama City, that bank executives, at those Panamanian financial institutions where Porter kept large accounts, conspired to pressure local prosecutors, under the corrupt former Martinelli administration, to delay his extradition indefinitely, for the sole purposes of retaining it after his premature death, due to the criminal denial of treatment for Porter. 

The deceased, who passed away on July 1st, is said to have suffered greatly in jail;  he could have survived for a long period of time, had he been allowed to return to Canada, to face the charges, and be treated for his illness.

The vulture-like attitude of Porter's Panamanian bankers, which has shocked even the most hardened Panama observers, is indicative of the absolutely amoral culture that exists among the most senior bankers in Panama. 

Whether those individuals whose improper influence resulted in Porter's mistreatment and excessive period of incarceration, when he had already waived any defenses, and asked to be extradited, receive justice for their crimes, is another matter.


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RONALD MAZZA SENTENCED TO 60 YEARS FOR PRODUCING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~

~Contributed by FBI ~



Springfield Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Producing Child Pornography 

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for sexually exploiting two children to produce child pornography.

Ronald Mazza, 34, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 60 years in federal prison without parole.

Mazza pleaded guilty to two separate counts of using two children, identified as “Jane Doe” and “John Doe,” to produce child pornography between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1, 2013. Mazza also pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Mazza was arrested on Dec. 3, 2013, when his wife reported to the Springfield, Mo., Police Department that she found images of child pornography on his computer. When officers arrived at their residence, she showed them images of a three-year-old victim and a five-year-old victim on Mazza’s computer. 

As the officers were in the process of seizing the computer, Mazza arrived at the home and was immediately placed under arrest. He has remained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.

According to court documents, investigators discovered approximately 432 images and 61 videos depicting child pornography, including the sexual exploitation of infants, on Mazza’s computer. Five videos and 53 images contained sexually explicit depictions of the two victims that Mazza produced. 

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has reported that Mazza’s images of those victims have been recovered in multiple unrelated child pornography investigations, indicating that those images are now circulating the Internet.

Mazza also faces state charges in Greene County Circuit Court for three counts of statutory sodomy, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of statutory rape, one count of sexual misconduct involving a child, one count of promoting child pornography and 13 counts of possessing child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 

Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. 

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

This content has been reproduced from its original source.


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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

PANAMA THREATENS TO SEND “PANAMANIAN ATTACK MONKEYS” TO EU TO REMOVE THE BLACK LIST STANDING | BRIBES ARE MORE SUITED FOR PANAMA |

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

PANAMA THREATENS TO USE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS TO RETALIATE AGAINST EU TAX HAVEN DESIGNATION

Panama has gone off the deep end, in its attempt to evade international accountability for the rampant money laundering which pervades its banking system.  

In what appears to be a desperate move to compel the EU to remove the tax haven designation it has placed upon the Republic of Panama, The country's Deputy Foreign Minister has threatened to retaliate against the individual countries that are members of the  European Union.

The deputy, Luis Miguel Hincapié, has arrogantly, and incorrectly, invoked Public Law no. 58, of December 12, 2002*(, which establishes retaliation in  cases of foreign discriminatory restrictions. Panama is, in essence, asserting that the EU is discriminating against it by declaring the country a non-cooperative tax haven. 

This is an arbitrary, and improper, application of the law, purely for political purposes, and Panama will lose what little credibility its government still has, should it actually levy a monetary penalty, which the law calls, for, upon countries of the EU.

Does the term "Banana Republic " come to mind here, or an I the only one who sees this action as a joke ?
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*http://200.46.254.138/legispan/pdf_normas/2000/2002/2002_525_1714.pdf


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VIKTOR BOUT'S COUNSEL IS SEEKING A NEW TRIAL BASED IN NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~

~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

VIKTOR BOUT'S NEW COUNSEL MOVES FOR A NEW TRIAL, UPON GROUNDS OF NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE



The team of attorneys engaged to seek a new trial in the case against arms trafficker Viktor Bout, has filed their much-anticipated motion & memorandum in US District Court in New York. Signed by the Russian-American attorney, Alexey Tarasov, the memorandum is based upon information obtained from a computer said to have been in the possession of co-defendant/co-conspirator Andrew Smulian, which was reportedly made available to Bout's counsel subsequent to his trial and conviction.

The points made; which I have quoted verbatim:

(1) "... Bout's conviction should be set aside, because Smulian apparently had knowledge of the operation against Bout, before the meeting in Bangkok, and there was no shared intent between the parties to a purported conspiracy."

Documents recovered from Bout's computer are alleged to include evidence that Smulian has been solicited to participate in an undercover law enforcement operation, prior to the sting, in 2005. Also, the entries show that Smulian knew that Snow was working as an agent for MI6 & the DEA. Therefor, there was no intent to form a conspiracy.

(2) "Newly discovered involvement of the US Attorney's Office, in persuading this Court to excise its adverse credibility findings, warrants a hearing as to the circumstances leading up to the Court's withdrawal of its credibility determinations, and the prosecutor's discharging the duty to inform the Court of misleading testimony before the Grand Jury."

The Court, prior to the trial, found made an adverse credibility determination, regarding a DEA agent involved in the Thailand arrest; The Government prevailed upon the Court to delete that finding, in connection with the Court's suppression of Bout's post-arrest statements, but the fact that the agent had testified before the Grand Jury was not conveyed to the Court, which Bout's counsel argues casts doubt on the validity of the indictment.  Also, was the Government's conduct improper ?

(3) "New trial should be ordered because the evidence showed that Smulian misled the jury, when he testified that Bout called a Bulgarian arms supplier for surface-to-air missiles."

According to the memorandum, Bout never called Peter Mirchev, a source for missiles, and Smulian's testimony to the jury was false. 

Apparently, Smulian's testimony about the call came as a surprise to Bout's trial counsel, and it was physically impossible to obtain evidence to rebut that statement, making a Mirchev affidavit obtained post-trial newly-discovered evidence. 

The alleged conversation had as significant impact upon the jury, and the outcome would have been different, had evidence controverting the Smulian testimony been introduced. Without the evidence that Bout could have acquired the missiles, the Government's case would have been insufficient to sustain a conviction, and the resulting 25-year sentence.

Bout's counsel is seeking a hearing, and a New Trial, pursuant to Rule 33. There are extensive exhibits attached to the memorandum, in support of the motion.

The Government's response is due August 6th.


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TURKEY INCREASE THE RISK DUE RECENT MIDDLE EAST EVENTS

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

RAISE COUNTRY RISK ON TURKEY

Recent events in the Middle East, regarding Turkey, are disturbing, and any one of them could harm its domestic economy, cause internal instability, and might even result in armed conflict. These may appear to be unrelated matters, but they are indicia of trouble heading directly towards Turkey's government.

The issues that you need to know:

(1) In the recent election, the nationalistic party in power lost its majority.

(2) Turkey continues to serve as a headquarters, and safe haven, for international operations of Hamas, which is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization (SDGT). Several Turkish "journalists" were denied entry to Israel, after the authorities alleged that they were closely linked to Hamas.

(3) Turkish goods, which cannot travel overland to customers in Jordan, through Syria, due to the civil war, are now no longer being shipped into Haifa, in Israel, due to Turkish political considerations.

(4) The President of Turkey has openly stated that he will not allow the Kurdish Syrian opposition to the Assad Regime to create a Kurdish nation in their area, which borders Turkey. His nationalistic policies have observers concerned that he intend to bring back a dominant Turkey to the region.

(5) ISIS/ISIL, which is winning its war against the Syrian Army & its Hezbollah and Iranian mercenary group, may very well end up occupying territory on the Turkish frontier. Will ISIS cross the border, and face off against the Turkish armed forces ?

(6) The so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is in talks with the EU-member Republic of Cyprus, to explore unification. Northern Cyprus is supported by the Turkish Army; how will a political solution in Cyprus play out in Ankara ?

(7) The country's president has arrogantly invited the Muslim world to occupy Jerusalem, which opens the door to yet another unwanted Arab-Israeli war.

Will Turkey end up as the eighth Middle Eastern country to have opposing armed groups seeking to defeat each other in battle ? Whether this happens in 2015, or not, the risk factors listed above are sufficient to justify an increase in Country Risk, at this time.


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Monday, June 29, 2015

CHRISTIANO RONALDO (SPAIN SOCCER STAR) MOTHER FORFEITED SMUGGLED MONEY|

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

CASH SEIZED FROM MOTHER OF SOCCER STAR TRYING TO LEAVE SPAIN

Ronaldo, and his mother.
Now that we are watching the FIFA corruption scandal unfold, it might be best if compliance officers at banks whose clientele include the world's professional soccer players examine their accounts as well. 

Here's why: The mother of the prominent European soccer star Christiano Ronaldo, who attempted to depart Spain with €55,000 in cash, was briefly detained by the authorities, and €45,000 was seized from her, after she failed to disclose the origin of the money, when interviewed.

She was permitted to depart with €10,000 the maximum amount that Spain allows travelers to leave the country with, when they do not report the personal movement of currency. 

Whether there will be subsequent charges filed is not known at this time. What's a grandmother doing with all that cash ?

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EUROPE PLACES PANAMA ON “BLACK LIST” & IS NOW BEING THREATENED BY PANAMA |

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~




PANAMA DEMANDS THAT THE EU RECONSIDER ITS PLACEMENT WITH TAX HAVENS


The Panamanian Foreign Ministry has demanded that the European Commission revisit its designation of the country as a non-cooperating tax haven jurisdiction. The government agency stated, in a press release, that the EU decision was "not grounded on an objective evaluation."

Panama was placed, last year, on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) "Grey List,"  and it is feared that it will, in 2016, make the organization's Black List, due to the rampant money laundering, and terrorist financing, occurring in Panama City banks. AML/CFT compliance is effectively ignored in the banks, in favor of the lucrative accounts of corrupt PEPs, from both Panama & Venezuela, and narcotics profits.

                                 

The new, reformist government of President Varela, has, thus far, failed to attack bank money laundering, although the anti-corruption campaign has been targeting corrupt former government officials, who have bled billions from the government treasury, and taken illegal insider trading profits. Unless and until there is real AML in Panama, it is not expected that neither the European Commission, nor the FATF, will back off, in their designation of Panama as a tax haven.  


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