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Sep 20, 2020 8 tweets 3 min read Read on X
Part 3:

The day of his arrest for a record-breaking sanctions-busting scheme, Reza Zarrab planned scuba diving trips in Florida.

Zarrab’s divemaster chronicled his high life online: yachts, submersibles, & partying with rapper Ludacris.

Another @CourthouseNews / @OCCRP 🔽
This is a deep dive into the lavish life of money launderer Reza Zarrab, known as the “Turkish Gatsby” for his high living, access to top government officials, and his marriage to Ebru Gündeş, a famous Turkish singer and actress.

It’s also the story of his divemaster.
Before Reza Zarrab’s arrest made him a notorious money launderer, he dreamed of being French ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.

“He was constantly watching videos about Jacques Cousteau’s research,” the former captain of his superyacht 60 Years said in an interview.
Reza Zarrab’s love for the sea put him in contact with divemaster Adam Wood, who was with the now-convicted money launderer on the day of his arrest in Miami International Airport.

Wood has never been accused of any wrongdoing.
Divemaster Adam Wood appeared dazzled by Reza Zarrab’s lifestyle: He documented his travels, boats, dining, watches and wealth on Facebook and Instagram.

He posted this photo at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport on the day of Zarrab’s arrest.
Authorities detained the divemaster at the time of Reza Zarrab’s arrest. He has never been accused of wrongdoing.

SDNY declined comment on his story too.
The divemaster backed out of a previously agreed-upon interview with my colleague, telling him: “I don’t really have time for this.”

He has deleted a CV on his website boasting of having served as “project manager” for Zarrab’s Royal Holding, working “directly for the owner.”
If you're just tuning in now, go back to the first part of the series.

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More from @KlasfeldReports

Apr 19
The afternoon session begins:

Trump has entered the courtroom and is seated at the defense table with his attorneys.
Trump's attorney Emil Bove begins his arguments in the so-called Sandoval hearing, seeking to prevent prosecutors from invoking other prior bad acts on cross-ex if his client takes the stand.

Background in thread
Right now, the parties are arguing about the admissibility of information about Trump's civil fraud case.

I'll unpack the issues here later.
Read 10 tweets
Apr 19
Good morning from New York.

Now that a full 12-person jury has been selected for Trump's criminal trial, it's time to round off the alternates. One down, five more to go. 🧵
Trump has set down at the defense table, between his lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove.
Justice Merchan says all 22 jurors are here.

"We're also working on the temperature," he adds.
Read 38 tweets
Apr 18
Good morning from New York.

We're seven sworn jurors into the process in Trump's criminal trial. Could we get the full 12-person panel today, save for the alternates?

Follow again for more voir dire, and see my chat with @Lawrence on Tuesday's session msnbc.com/the-last-word/…
First off:

On the first day, Justice Merchan read out a list of 41 names related to the case—not all witnesses.

For @Just_Security, @NormEisen spearheaded a breakdown of these names, with research from @JNKGoodman and me.

Bookmark this resource justsecurity.org/94696/trump-cr…
Trump has sat down at the defense table, more alert than we have seen him so far.

He appeared to be talking on his phone, until his attorney Todd Blanche made a cellphone gesture toward him, and he got off the phone.
Read 44 tweets
Apr 17
News

In Trump's NY criminal case, prosecutors file their so-called "Sandoval" notice—disclosing uncharged prior bad acts they intend to use at trial to impeach his credibility.

The list in the document rattles off the NYAG civil fraud case, the E. Jean Carroll case, and more. Image
"If the defendant chooses to testify, the People intend to inquire regarding the following"

Read the full list of litigation prosecutors intend to confront Trump with, if given the green light by the judge.

Doc 🔗 documentcloud.org/documents/2455…
Context

A Sandoval hearing establishes the permissible scope of cross-examination in order for the defendant to make an informed decision about whether to testify.

The notice shows that, for Trump, the list of prior bad acts, is quite long.
Read 6 tweets
Apr 16
The juror in seat No. 2 will be excused after Trump's lawyers discovered this post on social media:

“Good news!! Trump lost his battle on his unlawful travel ban!!! Get him out, and lock him up.”

(Punctuation marks recited into the record by Justice Merchan.)
Trump's legal team has been going down the list of jurors, one by one, and three jurors in, they have challenged every one for cause.

One challenged failed; one succeeded, and one is pending.
ADA Steinglass says that Team Trump's tactic of trolling potential jurors' social media accounts is a "conceptual problem."

Justice Merchan seems to agree, as Trump's third challenge is about an eight-year-old post by the juror's husband. (!)
Read 9 tweets
Apr 16
Good morning from New York.

We're gearing up for the second day of jury selection in Trump's criminal case in New York. Some nine jurors passed through the initial screening round, though none are empaneled, yet.

I'm reporting live from the courthouse every day. Follow here.
Per pool at 8:34 a.m. ET:

"Motorcade is on the move."
For my written reporting:

I will periodically fire off quick dispatches, and longer analytical pieces, on the trial for @Just_Security.

You can find the former category here. (Bookmark it!)

A more analytical dive here. justsecurity.org/daily-courtroo…
justsecurity.org/94560/trump-tr…
Read 35 tweets

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