Adam Klasfeld Profile picture
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.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Adam Klasfeld

Adam Klasfeld Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @KlasfeldReports

Jun 17
Trump’s appeal of a federal judge’s ruling finding his federalization of the National Guard illegal heads to court minutes from now (noon Pacific Time).

Follow along for analysis, and watch live on the court’s YouTube page.

Background on the lower court's ruling allrisenews.com/p/trump-troops…
The Ninth Circuit arguments will be streamed on the court's YouTube page here.
The hearing has begun.

DOJ's senior counsel Brett Shumate argues first.
Read 22 tweets
Jun 12
A federal court hearing is about to begin soon in California's lawsuit challenging Trump's deployment of troops in Los Angeles.

I'm listening in virtually for All Rise News.

The Zoom room now seems to be at capacity.

Background allrisenews.com/p/rob-bonta-mi…
"All rise."

Court is now in session. The Hon. Charles Breyer is presiding.

Nicholas Green for the office of the AG
Judge Breyer said that the fast hearing reflects the extreme urgency of the matter and need for deliberations.
Read 30 tweets
Jun 3
BREAKING: Trump admin must process education grants "without delay"

A federal judge preserved his ability to enforce the ruling even if the Senate passes a budget bill restraining his contempt power. @AllRiseNews allrisenews.com/p/linda-mcmaho…
A quick thread on this:

This is the first time I personally have seen a court proactively address the possibility of Congress restraining the enforcement power of the federal judiciary.

(There are a lot of cases out there, and perhaps it's come up elsewhere.)
Here's how it went down:

Assistant NYAG Andrew Amer brought up the restraints on contempt power included in the budget bill toward the end of the hearing.

This is the language. See the highlighted clause? No court of the United States may enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c), whether issued prior to, on, or subsequent to the date of enactment of this section.
Read 6 tweets
May 22
Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. Kid Cudi, takes the stand in the case against Sean Combs.

He's wearing a leather jacket on this rainy Thursday, and his testimony has just begun.
Mescudi says that Combs broke into his house, spooking his dog so much that he was "very jittery, kind of like on edge all the time."

When Combs tried to contact him later, he said: "I told him, 'No, you broke into my house. You messed with my dog. I don’t want to talk to you.'"
Exchange with the prosecutor:

Q: Was there a time that you learned that your car had caught fire?
A: Yes.
Read 21 tweets
May 13
NEWS:

Casandra "Cassie" Ventura has taken the stand in the racketeering trial of Sean Combs.

The prosecution's preview of her testimony, @AllRiseNews allrisenews.com/p/sean-combs-r…
Prosecutors immediately show her a still frame of the surveillance video from the hotel.

Q: Who introduced you to the term "freak off"?
A: Sean did.
Asked what a "freak off" is, Cassie responds: "It basically entails hiring of an escort (deep exhale) setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean."

She is pregnant and soft-spoken in her testimony.
Read 9 tweets
May 13
Happening soon:

Trump's tariffs face their first legal test before the Court of International Trade — and the public can connect remotely.

Background @AllRiseNews allrisenews.com/p/mothers-day-…
Find the link to the court's YouTube page in the story at the top of the thread.
"All rise."

The Court of International Trade is now in session.
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(