Thread by @JasonLeopold

From our #FinCENFiles investigation: Bank of America flagged $500K Michael Flynn's company received for his secret Turkish lobbying in 2016 as suspicious. But the bank didn't file a suspicious activity report w/#FinCEN until after Trump fired him

https://twitter.com/JasonLeopold/status/1316065234910547968?s=19

This new information highlights a major finding of the #FinCENFiles investigation: Banks often miss suspicious transactions when they occur.

The details in Bank of America’s May 4, 2017 suspicious activity report, or SAR, shed light on Flynn’s actions at a time when they, and his legal fate, are the subject of intense scrutiny.

According to the SAR, Bank of America decided to review the account of Flynn Intel Group after Trump fired Flynn on Feb. 13, 2017.

According to the SAR, Bank of America decided to review the account of Flynn Intel Group after Trump fired Flynn on Feb. 13, 2017. Bank of America’s automated monitoring systems as well as news reports about Flynn & his firm sparked the review of his acct, according to the SAR.

“Due to the negative media regarding the relationship between former national security advisor Michael Flynn and Turkish entrepreneur Ekim Altekin [sic] and questions surrounding the source of funds, the wire deposits appear suspicious,” the SAR said.

The wire transfers from Alptekin, ranging from $145,000 to $200,000, “did not contain any additional information to explain the purpose of the wires,” the SAR says.

The SAR adds that “there are questions regarding the source of funds that Alptekin used.”

The report also describes other transactions that appeared opaque, noting that the “purpose of the transfers is unknown.”

After the transfers from Alptekin, the Flynn account sent checks that added up to more than $500,000 over the course of three months in 2016. The SAR notes that the checks were in round-dollar payments, considered one hallmark of suspicious activity or money laundering.

The SAR notes that the checks referenced “confidence” or “Boston.” According to court documents, “confidence” refers to the code name for the Gülen project that Bijan Rafiekian, Flynn Intel Group co-founder, and Alptekin came up with.