ICYMI/Thread: Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, a Turkish businessman was arrested in Austria on June 19, 2021. This arrest followed the unsealment of a superseding indictment returned in April 28th by a federal grand jury.

cc @ninaandtito @SaysDana
@ThomasS4217
justice.gov/opa/pr/turkish…
Korkmaz laundered over $133 million in fraud proceeds through bank accounts that he controlled in Turkey and Luxembourg.

He's charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, 10 counts of wire fraud, and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.
/2
The proceeds were related to a scheme by Jacob Kingston, Isaiah Kingston, and Levon Termendzhyan to defraud the U.S. Treasury over $1B in refundable renewable fuel tax credits for the production & sale of biodiesel by their company, Washakie Renewable Energy in Plymouth, UT.
/3
Korkmaz devised a scheme to defraud the Kingstons by falsely representing that he could provide them with protection, through unnamed government officials, from a federal grand jury investigation and civil lawsuits.

Remember them Kingstons? ⬇️
/4

Where have I heard the name
Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, you ask?

Maybe because he was subpoenaed by Robert Mueller. Korkmaz happens to be a very close ally of Ekim Alptekin, the dude who hired Michael Flynn to lobby for Turkey during the 2016 election.
/5


propublica.org/article/robert…
From Sept 2017: "It’s not clear why prosecutors wanted Korkmaz to testify. But one possible explanation is his connection to Alptekin. Investigators are interested in the ultimate source of the money that Alptekin’s company paid to Flynn’s firm..."
/6


propublica.org/article/robert…
"Korkmaz said in a radio interview in May [2017] that he started as a dishwasher at age 13 and is now bringing hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. to Turkey. His company invests in a range of industries in Turkey, the Middle East, the U.S. and Russia."
/7
From 2017:
"But one possible explanation is Korkmaz's connection to Alptekin. Investigators are interested in the ultimate source of the money that Alptekin’s company paid to Flynn’s firm, according to a person familiar with the probe."
/8
Korkmaz and Alptekin are involved in a trade group together and have overlapping business interests. Korkmaz’s company, SBK Holding, is a member of the Turkey-U.S. Business Council, which is chaired by Alptekin. /9
Korkmaz's business interests are diverse. His company SBK has “major investments” in the Russian energy sector, a Sept 2016 announcement by a Turkish government agency said.
/10
Well now, we're back full circle:
"The U.S. sister company of Korkmaz’s operation, known as SBK Holdings USA, is led by Levon Termendzhyan, a Russian fuel trader with a long rap sheet, according to court records."
/11
Flynn ➡️ Alptekin ➡️ Korkmaz ➡️ SBK ➡️ Termendzhyan ➡️ Washakie Renewable Energy ➡️ Kingston Clan
/12
Well now...

"Just eight days after formally joining Trump's campaign as an adviser on national security issues, Woolsey met on Sept. 20, 2016 with businessmen Ekim Alptekin and Sezgin Baran Korkmaz over lunch at the Peninsula Hotel in New York."
/13


reuters.com/article/us-usa…
So...Woolsey with his wife Miller AND Flynn were competing against each other for the same takedown Gulen contract via Alptekin and Korkmaz?
/14
The weirdest thing about Korkmaz and his company SBK is their failed attempt to convince Putin to award them a contract to finance $850 million to build the Kerch Strait bridge that connects Crimea to Russia.
/15
Btw, Korkmaz lost out on the contract to Putin's BFF.
/16


newyorker.com/magazine/2017/…
CODA/June 27, 2021: "Korkmaz, who is sought by the U.S. on money laundering charges, purchased a private jet with U.S. government funding and the aircraft was used by Washington-sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami."

ahvalnews.com/sezgin-baran-k…
CODA 2: Korkmaz is one busy laundromat.

Korkmaz ➡️ SBK➡️ Termendzhyan ➡️ Washakie Renewable Energy ➡️ Kingston Clan

Korkmaz ➡️ Alptekin ➡️ Flynn ➡️ Trump

Korkmaz ➡️ SBK ➡️ Putin

Korkmaz ➡️ SBK ➡️ Venezuela

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npr.org/2018/12/05/673…
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washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
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yahoo.com/news/acting-ca…
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2 pm is 2 pm.
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cc @ninaandtito @SaysDana
@Stephaniefishm4 @MsMariaT

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2/
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Tale of Two #COVID19 Cases
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Read 21 tweets

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