FBI investigates Russian-linked Cyprus bank accused of money laundering

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

The FBI has asked officials in Cyprus for financial information about a defunct bank that was used by wealthy Russians with political connections and has been accused by the US government of money laundering, two sources have told the Guardian.

The request for information about FBME Bank comes as Cyprus has emerged as a key area of interest for Robert Mueller, the US special counsel who is investigating a possible conspiracy between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin.
...
One person familiar with the FBI request said it appeared to be connected to Mueller’s ongoing examination of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager who was indicted in October, and money that flowed between former Soviet states and the US through Cypriot banks.
...
Bloomberg reported last week that FBME was the subject of two US investigations: one into the bank’s credit card unit, and another into alleged laundering of money from Russia. Bloomberg said the Russia-related investigation, which is being led by the US attorney’s office in New York, was connected to a flow of illegal Russian funds into the New York real estate market.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/24/fbi-investigates-russian-linked-cyprus-bank-accused-of-money-laundering

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Manafort and New York real estate - a juicy holiday present for the Trump and Kushner families ...

[greymattermom]

1. Key words here

"being led by the US attorney's office in New York."

[dchill]

12. VERY important detail!

[2naSalit]

2. K&R

[Achilleaze]

3. The KGOP republican-russian Bigly Filthy Laundry, Inc.*

* aka the KGOPRRBFL

[certainot]

4. how many of the cyprus accts getting money from russians are rw talk radio hosts?

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

5. No mention of Wilbur Ross...

... I thought for sure his name would be in the article at some point. Oh, boo hoo!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Me too, but it seems to be a different bank from the one Ross owns, not the Bank of Cyprus. . nt

[Princess Turandot]

6. A few years, NY Magazine published an article about real estate purchases in NYC...

titled Stash Pad. It is long, but quite interesting. Any hairball with the cash can buy real estate here and remain anonymous by using shell companies as the purchaser. Some actually transfer money to their US based attorneys, where it goes into client accounts held by the law firm cloaked in privilege, from whence the purchases are then made. It's been going on for a long time.

Real estate transaction transparency was carved out of the various financial oversight rules established by the Patriot Act. So basically, Bin Laden himself could have purchased 20 units in a high end building here, and no one would necessarily know that he had done so, at least not from the purchase itself.

Former Senator Carl Levin kept trying to close this loophole, but to no avail.

[L. Coyote]

7. No Pardons: "Russia-related investigation, which is being led by the US attorneys office in NY"

[duforsure]

9. Another threat to exposing a crook

Lets see who in this administration picked someone from the money laundering bank to serve, the resident in the White House did, Wilber Ross, or, could it have been Putin behind this pick to, with others for the resident? The appointments made all are coming from connections , and people who have worked possibly for Putin , and his surrogates. That's very telling, and maybe why another Russian was reported to have landed yesterday in Florida, maybe another get together with the resident?

[SeaDoo77]

10. Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Trump isn't the only laundryman. To arrest him you have to arrest lots of rich people. Besides the 1% in Russia are protected just like here. Crime is only for poor people. And remember, lawyers never go to jail too. Remember Enron?

They buy the laws that protect them.

[Hortensis]

11. And Wilbur Ross, still up to his eyebrows in it, DeptCommerce,

and our national business, but not prison.

[Qutzupalotl]

13. Many Are Getting Arrested