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Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
@OCCRP
Sep 18, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
NEW: Starting with a meeting the day before Trump’s inauguration, here’s the true story behind the "bromance" between President Trump and Turkey’s Erdoğan.

Starring: Trump’s top lobbyist, a Russian oligarch, a jailed shipping tycoon, and Lev Parnas. 1/
occrp.org/en/investigati…
The meeting led to two multi-million dollar contracts for the firm of Brian Ballard, a lobbyist with ties to Trump. It helped build a relationship btw. the two leaders, in which the US president has made foreign policy moves that have baffled both his adversaries and allies. 2/
Involved in setting up the deals was Lev Parnas, whose work with Rudy Giuliani led to Trump’s impeachment.

Also involved were Mübariz Mansimov, a Turkish shipping tycoon accused of terrorism, and Farkhad Akhmedov, a Russian oligarch listed by the US as a Kremlin ally. 3/
Parnas awaits trial on campaign finance charges, and was hit with fresh fraud charges by US prosecutors yesterday. He has since turned on his former allies in Trump’s circle, offering up evidence of int'l deal-making.

Read more about his journey here. 4/
occrp.org/en/investigati…
This investigation was a collaborative effort with our US media partners, @CourthouseNews and @NBCNews 5/

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More from @OCCRP

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Nov 12
Days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Belarusian government sold a plot of land in an exclusive Russian ski resort town for 20 times cheaper than its market value.

Now an elite ‘hotel complex’ is being built on that land — but not just for anyone. Image
The development includes VIP villas and Turkish spas, as well as high-security features like guard posts and a drone suppression system.

It may be intended for Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

occrp.org/en/investigati…
Last year, @osbbelpol and @Belsat_TV reported that the site had been transferred on Lukashenko’s orders to a private Russian company run by people tied to his “right-hand man,” Viktor Sheiman.

Now, @BelarusFiles has obtained new information on the money behind the complex — and whose name is on the documents.

Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of BelarusImage
Read 7 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Nov 9
🌎Here's this week's round-the-world roundup of OCCRP's biggest stories and scoops
Newly obtained documents reveal the people and companies who paid for the elite development near the Russian resort city of Sochi. Many have ties to Viktor Sheiman, a regime enforcer often described as Belarusian Dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s “right hand" occrp.org/en/investigati…
Why are some European drug gangs burying cocaine instead of selling It? Wholesale prices are in the gutter across much of Europe, forcing drug smugglers to try to manipulate the market. OCCRP explains the factors affecting Europe's cocaine supply in 2025: occrp.org/en/feature/faq…
Read 4 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Nov 7
This plot of land near the Russian resort town of Sochi used to belong to the Belarusian government.

Now there’s an elite development being built there. What’s going on? Image
These documents show how Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko ordered the land to be sold to a Russian company — for 5% of its market value. Image
And this blueprint shows some of the luxurious amenities in the main building.

Not pictured: the anti-ram steel fence, six guard posts, thermal imagers, a drone-suppression system, and technology to detect radioactive materials.

Who’s all of this for? Image
Read 4 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Sep 28
On September 28, World News Day unites newsrooms worldwide to showcase the power of fact-based reporting amid rising authoritarianism, misinformation, and Big Tech dominance. #WND2025 Image
What would your feed look like without fact-based journalism?
Image
#ChooseTruth because #JournalismMatters Image
Image
Read 4 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jul 27
Canada is trying to deport Jimmy DeMaria, allegedly a senior figure in the "Siderno Group,” which authorities say is a Toronto-based branch of Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia. As @CBC reports, the case hinges on foreign wiretaps — raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada. cbc.ca/news/politics/…Image
@CBC cites two OCCRP reports about the Siderno Group, including our 2024 deep dive, in collaboratiion with the @TorontoStar, into how Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia allegedly used personal ties inside two major Canadian banks: ​​occrp.org/en/investigati…
One of the alleged leaders of the Toronto faction of the ’Ndrangheta was Italian immigrant Angelo Figliomeni, who appears to have had close relationships with employees at the Royal Bank of Canada and TD.

“You’re never busy for your banker. You know that, eh? Your accountant, your banker — even more important than the priest,” a financial planner at TD told Figliomeni’s senior associate.
Read 8 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jul 25
Canada is trying to deport Jimmy DeMaria, allegedly a senior figure in the "Siderno Group,” which authorities say is a Toronto-based branch of Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia. As @CBC reports, the case hinges on foreign wiretaps — raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada: cbc.ca/news/politics/…
@CBC cites two OCCRP reports about the Siderno Group, including our 2024 deep dive, in collaboratiion with the Toronto Star, into how Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia allegedly used personal ties inside two major Canadian banks: ​​occrp.org/en/investigati…
One of the alleged leaders of the Toronto faction of the ’Ndrangheta was Italian immigrant Angelo Figliomeni, who appears to have had close relationships with employees at the Royal Bank of Canada and TD.

“You’re never busy for your banker. You know that, eh? Your accountant, your banker — even more important than the priest,” a financial planner at TD told Figliomeni’s senior associate.
Read 8 tweets

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