Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #FinCenFiles
Most recents (24)
Now you see it … now you don’t. The mystery of ancient statues edited from the pages of Architectural Digest sparked a deep dive by @ICIJorg w/@PeterWhoriskey @maliapolitzer into the opaque art trade & surfaced big questions about who should own a nation's cultural heritage.🧵
Our latest was sparked when @ICIJorg reporting fellow @NicoleSadek noticed Khmer statues in a photo of a mansion's courtyard on an architect's website ... and compared it to the version in a 2021 magazine spread, where the statues were missing. icij.org/investigations…
Architectural Digest said it did not show the relics because of “unresolved publication rights around select artworks.”
The Cambodian government says the statues appear to match several that were looted from temples and sold into the black market. It wants them back.
The Cambodian government says the statues appear to match several that were looted from temples and sold into the black market. It wants them back.
We dug into Cambodia's lost heritage and one of the world’s most elite & secretive trades — the antiquities market — with @washingtonpost & @FinUncovered.
Our latest search on the fate of allegedly looted relics led us to the pages of a luxury magazine. 🧵bit.ly/3w7xMJz
Our latest search on the fate of allegedly looted relics led us to the pages of a luxury magazine. 🧵bit.ly/3w7xMJz
A 2021 @ArchDigest spread on a San Francisco mansion featured a photo of a lavish courtyard with several empty pedestals off to one side.
But our reporters discovered another version of the image showing ancient Khmer sculptures resting there. bit.ly/3w7xMJz
But our reporters discovered another version of the image showing ancient Khmer sculptures resting there. bit.ly/3w7xMJz
It’s unclear who modified the photo or why, but those sculptures match missing relics that Cambodian officials say were stolen from one of the nation’s most sacred sites years ago — offering clues in a global effort to repatriate 1000s of lost artifacts. bit.ly/3w7xMJz
1/ Today, ICIJ unveils a bold new brand, mission and vision to expand our global reporting collaborations and renew our commitment to telling stories that show how the world really works — triggering positive change in tumultuous times. 🧵bit.ly/3bLEVI8
2/ With democracy & press freedom under attack globally, authoritarianism & inequality on the rise, and corporations increasingly operating beyond the realms of accountability, wealth & influence have accumulated in the hands of a powerful elite – secretly hoarded out of reach.
3/ ICIJ has directed the largest cross-border reporting initiatives in history, convincing reporters across the globe to set aside traditional rivalries to uncover corruption, abuses of power and grave harms inflicted on the world's most vulnerable people.
Why haven’t sanctions against Russian oligarchs worked in the past? And what’s different now?
@nytimes’ The Daily podcast tackled the question, citing a case ICIJ is very familiar with: Putin’s judo buddy, Arkady Rotenberg. #PanamaPapers #ParadisePaper nyti.ms/3NpKgn0
@nytimes’ The Daily podcast tackled the question, citing a case ICIJ is very familiar with: Putin’s judo buddy, Arkady Rotenberg. #PanamaPapers #ParadisePaper nyti.ms/3NpKgn0
The Rotenbergs are among many Russian powerbrokers who ICIJ investigations have shown use the offshore system to hide their money and anonymously spend their billions around the world, effectively skirting the intended impact of sanctions. #RussiaArchive bit.ly/3L6PUID
For example, when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and Arkady Rotenberg — a billionaire oligarch and childhood friend of Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned — he and his brother transferred substantial assets to their sons, #FinCENFiles show. (HT @BuzzFeedNews!) bit.ly/36nrKeb
NEW: OCCRP and the @guardian uncover how the Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov places his assets beyond the reach of sanctions through secretive offshore jurisdictions, trusts, and Swiss bank accounts. #RussianAssetTracker 1/
occrp.org/en/asset-track…
occrp.org/en/asset-track…
Pulling from leaked data sets including #SuisseSecrets, #PanamaPapers, and #FinCenFiles, reporters pieced together a partial picture of how Usmanov has obscured his holdings —including by making his sister, a Tashkent gynecologist, one of the major beneficiaries. 2/
Saodat Narzieva is listed as the beneficial owner of 27 accounts at Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse.
One of these accounts held a max balance of over $2.1 billion. Others held max balances in the hundreds of millions. 3/
One of these accounts held a max balance of over $2.1 billion. Others held max balances in the hundreds of millions. 3/
NEW: Internal Treasury Dept Docs Show Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich Invested At Least $1.3B With US Investment Firms And Hedge Funds
Abramovich hasn't been sanctioned by US. But that may soon change, a US official told @BuzzFeedNews
buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwar…
Abramovich hasn't been sanctioned by US. But that may soon change, a US official told @BuzzFeedNews
buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwar…
The money, sent through the high-secrecy jurisdictions of the British Virgin Islands & Cyprus, was difficult to trace. But with the help of confidential banking records, investigators at State Street stumbled upon the identity of the mystery investor: Roman Abramovich
🧵 Russian oligarchs now being widely targeted with sanctions have featured prominently across several ICIJ investigations.
Here's some of the offshore dealings we’ve previously uncovered about political elites close to Vladimir Putin. #RussiaArchive👇 bit.ly/3oUP1dl
Here's some of the offshore dealings we’ve previously uncovered about political elites close to Vladimir Putin. #RussiaArchive👇 bit.ly/3oUP1dl
🔴 Alisher Usmanov
#ParadisePapers showed that a firm connected to the Uzbek-Russian billionaire provided a link between Russian state money and large early investments in Facebook.
Read more in the #RussiaArchive: bit.ly/3CEVaQP
#ParadisePapers showed that a firm connected to the Uzbek-Russian billionaire provided a link between Russian state money and large early investments in Facebook.
Read more in the #RussiaArchive: bit.ly/3CEVaQP
🔴 Gennady Timchenko
#PandoraPapers reporting revealed a series of massive loans between anonymous offshore shell companies and a firm the oil magnate registered in Cyprus. bit.ly/3HanF9A
#PandoraPapers reporting revealed a series of massive loans between anonymous offshore shell companies and a firm the oil magnate registered in Cyprus. bit.ly/3HanF9A
Deripaska's 5 Belgrave Sq mansion occupied by squatters. Another of Deripaska's mansions handed over to his family/associates in order to avoid U.S. sanctions.
It is owned by B.V.I. entity Ravellot & Deripaska's 'property manager' Graham Bonham Carter is listed as its contact.
It is owned by B.V.I. entity Ravellot & Deripaska's 'property manager' Graham Bonham Carter is listed as its contact.
Deripaska's 'property manager' Graham Bonham Carter, had 5 bank accounts (£110k) frozen the other week suspected of being laundered on behalf of Deripaska. A further £800k has flowed through them since Nov 2020
Another house on Belgrave Mews together with 5 Belgrave Square are valued at £50M and both registered to Ravellot, the company registered in the B.V.I. that Bonham Carter is the contact for.
The U.K. becomes the first Western government to target Roman Abramovich, billionaire owner of British soccer club Chelsea FC, in a raft of new sanctions against Russian oligarchs (via @WSJ):
on.wsj.com/3vWD5wi
Abramovich appeared in the #FinCENFiles and #ParadisePapers.
on.wsj.com/3vWD5wi
Abramovich appeared in the #FinCENFiles and #ParadisePapers.
ICIJ’s Latvian partner @rebaltica used #FinCENFiles to trace payments between Abramovich’s business empire and his former business partner Oleg Deripaska — also sanctioned by the U.K. today.
Much of his money flowed through Expobank in Latvia’s capital. bit.ly/3u5NuDp
Much of his money flowed through Expobank in Latvia’s capital. bit.ly/3u5NuDp
In #FinCENFiles, ICIJ partners @BBCArabic and @haaretzcom identified Roman Abramovich as an anonymous donor who spent $100M bankrolling a controversial Israeli settler organization.
BBC also found the Russian oligarch had secret stakes in rival players. bbc.in/34uQLmG
BBC also found the Russian oligarch had secret stakes in rival players. bbc.in/34uQLmG
1/ As Western governments target Russian oligarch assets hidden abroad, it’s worth remembering: money doesn’t just hide itself in offshore accounts and shell companies. It takes a village of enablers. 🧵bit.ly/3hviIxN
2/ Here are a few of the many lawyers, offshore agents & banks that have helped Russia’s elite move, hide and invest their money — identified by ICIJ over nearly a decade of reporting on offshore finance. bit.ly/3hviIxN
3/ London lawyer Alastair Tulloch. His firm set up companies for Russia’s former Deputy Finance Minister Andrey Vavilov; billionaire oligarch Alexander Mamut; and Vitaly Zhogin, a banker wanted in Russia for alleged fraud. bit.ly/3hviIxN
NEW: What @a_cormier_ @jtemplon @scottpham & I reported in 2 stories over the past week related to the ways Russian oligarchs have gamed the system of financial regulations to hide their wealth FinCEN has just issued a warning about
Our story last week
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
The White House just announced sanctions against more Russian oligarchs & their family members, including several @BuzzFeedNews has reported on over the past week and in the #FinCENFiles citing secret Treasury Dept docs.
Alisher Usmanov
Boris, Arkady & Roman Rotenberg
Alisher Usmanov
Boris, Arkady & Roman Rotenberg
FinCEN Files: Sanctioned Putin associate ‘laundered millions’ through Barclays
bbc.com/news/uk-542255…
bbc.com/news/uk-542255…
The US sanctioned Russian bank Promsvyazbank after the country invaded Ukraine.
Secret documents obtained by BuzzFeed News in our #FinCENFiles investigation reveal it played a role in some of the world’s largest money laundering schemes 🧵
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
Secret documents obtained by BuzzFeed News in our #FinCENFiles investigation reveal it played a role in some of the world’s largest money laundering schemes 🧵
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
Promsvyazbank, commonly known as PSB, was taken over by the Russian government in 2018 in order to serve the defense industry.
But in the years before, Western banks filed secret reports about suspicious transactions.
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
But in the years before, Western banks filed secret reports about suspicious transactions.
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
Secret documents show how PSB provided a conduit for anonymous shell companies to participate in global money laundering schemes — and how it gave members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle unfettered access to America’s financial system.
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
buzzfeednews.com/article/anthon…
UPDATE: Oligarchs Boris Rotenberg, Igor Rotenberg and Gennady Timchenko have been sanctioned by the U.K., along with five Russian banks, hours after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two regions of Ukraine after recognizing their independence. bit.ly/3oUP1dl
Oil magnate Gennady Timchenko is one of a number of prominent Russians with close ties to President Vladimir Putin whose offshore financial activities were exposed in the #PandoraPapers investigation last year. bit.ly/3HanF9A
In 2016, the #PanamaPapers revealed offshore firms linked to billionaire brothers Arkady & Boris Rotenberg — childhood friends of Vladimir Putin —which invested in a major pipeline company and helped build an Italian villa for Arkady's son, Igor Rotenberg. bit.ly/3H4IwLq
Shadowy money built steel empire — with bank's help
Deutsche was warned about highly suspicious money involving Ihor Kolomoisky — but moved it anyway
post-gazette.com/news/crime-cou… @MikeSallah7
Deutsche was warned about highly suspicious money involving Ihor Kolomoisky — but moved it anyway
post-gazette.com/news/crime-cou… @MikeSallah7
"Not until an effort by the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press and BuzzFeed News to press for data in federal court in the Southern District of New York in 2020 did the judge agree last month to unseal records of the transfer summaries"
post-gazette.com/news/crime-cou…
post-gazette.com/news/crime-cou…
A huge thank you to @katie_rcfp @Jen_A_Nelson & @rcfp for their painstaking legal work over the past 2 years on behalf of @BuzzFeedNews that led to the unsealing of these explosive court documents. This was part of our #FinCENFiles reporting
NEW: The #PandoraPapers uncover more than 1,600 works of art secretly traded through tax havens — exacerbating the opacity of what’s been called the ‘largest, legal unregulated industry.’ 🧵bit.ly/34m7AQA
From Picassos to Warhols to collections worth millions, the #PandoraPapers show how art has become an increasingly popular store of value in the offshore world, where the ultimate ownership of pieces is often hidden from authorities and the public. bit.ly/34m7AQA
The #PandoraPapers also reveal that iconic pieces by street artist Banksy, whose artwork is known for its anti-capitalist message, have been swept up into a parallel financial system that supports and contributes to global inequality. bit.ly/34m7AQA
BREAKING: Treasury Dept whistleblower Natalie May Edwards, our source whose brave disclosures exposed financial corruption on a global scale & formed the basis of our award-winning #FinCENFiles investigation, has just been released from federal prison
buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier…
buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier…
May Edwards just told @a_cormier_, minutes after she was released from prison: “This chapter is officially closed. I will not be silenced anymore. My story will be told.”
buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier…
buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier…
May (@3_Whistleblower)
served nearly five of her 6 month sentence.
Her sentence was unjust and unfair. Her disclosures have sparked AML reforms in the US and around the world.
I spoke with her a little while ago. I'm so relieved she's been released and is now with her family.
served nearly five of her 6 month sentence.
Her sentence was unjust and unfair. Her disclosures have sparked AML reforms in the US and around the world.
I spoke with her a little while ago. I'm so relieved she's been released and is now with her family.
#FinCENFiles whistleblower Natalie May Edwards is so appreciative and grateful to everyone who sent her books in prison over the past few months. She's devoured all of them and she is hoping people will send some new titles
amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls…
amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls…
I'm also going to share the GoFundMe link again. The generous financial support has really helped May's husband and her daughter. Please consider a donation.
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
May also loves receiving letters and she would love to hear from people. If you're in a writing mood and would be willing to send her a card or letter you can mail it to:
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards
Reg# 92703-083 B&3-57L
FPC Alderson
P.O. Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards
Reg# 92703-083 B&3-57L
FPC Alderson
P.O. Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
On June 3, Biden signed EO vowing to make global financial systems more transparent. On that day, a judge sentenced my FinCENFiles source, Natalie Mayflower Edwards, to prison. She did more to bring transparency to the global financial system than almost anyone in recent memory
The petition asking Biden to pardon Natalie Mayflower Edwards is up to 7659 signatures. Add your name here
change.org/p/president-of…
change.org/p/president-of…
If you'd like to support #FinCENfiles whistleblower Natalie May Edwards and her family please donate here
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
1 year ago today, my colleagues & I published the 1st stories from the massive, global reporting project known as #FinCENFiles. Our reporting made an enormous impact around the world & helped push through the most substantial revision to AML laws in the US since the Patriot Act
NEW: A Year After The #FinCENFiles, The Biggest Change Is Still A Work In Progress
A year after the publication of a groundbreaking global investigation, the details of how to stop money laundering are still coming into focus.
buzzfeednews.com/article/scottp… @scottpham
A year after the publication of a groundbreaking global investigation, the details of how to stop money laundering are still coming into focus.
buzzfeednews.com/article/scottp… @scottpham
As reforms sparked by #FinCENFiles roll out a year on, key source is behind bars icij.org/investigations… via @ICIJorg
Congratulations to my #FinCENFiles at @BuzzFeedNews & @ICIJorg for being named finalists for the @LoebAwards!
This is really bittersweet as our source who made this series & its global impact possible, Natalie May Edwards, & just reported to prison Friday
This is really bittersweet as our source who made this series & its global impact possible, Natalie May Edwards, & just reported to prison Friday
If you'd like to support May and her family please donate to this fundraiser
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
Natalie May Edwards: “I did this for the American people. My motive was accountability, and the American people had a right to know what was occurring within Treasury and that it was a national security issue and that American lives were in jeopardy.”
buzzfeednews.com/article/davidm…
buzzfeednews.com/article/davidm…
In a wide-ranging intv w/@davidmackau before she reported to prison, whistleblower Natalie May Edwards, the source behind our #FinCENFiles investigation & other stories, said she's "absolutely proud of what I did and I know American lives have been saved”
buzzfeednews.com/article/davidm…
buzzfeednews.com/article/davidm…
Natalie May Edwards told @davidmackau: “I did this for the American people. My motive was accountability, and the American people had a right to know what was occurring within Treasury and that it was a national security issue and that American lives were in jeopardy.”
To support Natalie May Edwards and her family, please consider contributing to her fundraiser.
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
This morning, Natalie May Edwards, a Treasury Dept whistleblower & one of the bravest humans I know, reports to federal prison in W. Virginia to begin her 6 month sentence
May was the source behind our global #FinCENFiles investigation, which we published a year ago this month
May was the source behind our global #FinCENFiles investigation, which we published a year ago this month
May told the judge at her sentencing hearing in June she had taken an oath to protect the American people and “could not stand by aimlessly” when she saw corruption.
Her disclosures and her sacrifice helped change laws in the US and around the world. She is a hero.
Her disclosures and her sacrifice helped change laws in the US and around the world. She is a hero.
Please show May and her family your support for the sacrifices she has made and consider donating to this fundraiser set up for her by @Winter
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
Dr. May Edwards (@3_Whistleblower), the govt whistleblower whose disclosures formed the basis of @BuzzFeedNews & @ICIJorg's #FinCENFiles investigation has been granted a temporary delay in reporting to prison for medical reasons. richmond.com/news/local/cri… via @rtdnews
May was supposed to report to prison today to begin a six month sentence. I'm glad she has some more time with her family and I wish her a speedy recovery.
May's important disclosures about financial corruption on a global scale involving the biggest banks led to reforms in the US and around the world.
This is a GoFundMe page set up for May by @Winter. Show her some support.
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
This is a GoFundMe page set up for May by @Winter. Show her some support.
gofundme.com/f/treasury-whi…
