Thread by @TrevorSutcliffe

Ihor Kolomoyskyi
-1990 founds Ukraine's biggest bank PrivatBank
-Controls influential media
-Tried to take over European Jewish lobby
-Bank nationalized in 2016, audit finds $5.5 billion hole, accused of fraud
-Wanted in Russia for assassinating civilians
moneyinc.com/ihor-kolomoysk…

"Kolomoisky also exerts considerable influence over mass media...operates eight Ukrainian TV channels...aired a comedy series entitled “Servant of the People”, which saw Volodymyr Zelensky play the role of president of Ukraine…he went on to win the presidential race for real."

March 2014 Russia put the Moscow subsidiary of Ukraine's Privatbank "Moskomprivatbank" under temporary administration, according to the Russian central bank to prevent its bankruptcy; "Moskomprivatbank" chairman said the move was the result of "political tensions in relations".

PrivatBank was subjected to a large scale and coordinated fraud over at least a ten-year period ending December 2016, which resulted in the Bank suffering a loss of at least USD 5.5 billion."

95% of lending had been to "parties related to former shareholders & their affiliates".

In April 2020, a lawsuit was filed alleging that Uriel Laber and Mordechai Korf, Jewish associates of Kolomoyskyi in Miami, Florida, helped Kolomoyskyi launder money stolen from PrivatBank (forerunner to the National Bank of Ukraine) through their "Opitma" group of companies.

Through a series of shell companies, Kolomoisky took out loans from PrivatBank & rarely paid them back. Money was then moved through companies all over the world. Millions of dollars were funneled into Miami by Uriel Laber and Moderchai "Motti" Korf, DOJ forfeiture petition said.

"The NBU will take the adequate actions to protect its rights and interests, the National Bank of Ukraine said in a statement to the Miami Herald when asked about the Florida lawsuit.

Ihor Kolomoyskyi has triple Ukraine-Israel-Cyprus citizenship.
Kolomoyskyi: "constitution prohibits double citizenship but triple citizenship is not forbidden."
In 2021, Pandora Papers revealed Ukraine President Zelenskyy operates a network of offshore companies, some in Cyprus.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy operates offshore companies with chief aide Sergey Shefir, who also worked on 'Servant of the People', and childhood friend Ivan Bakanov, who Zelenskyy placed as head of Ukraine Security Service & leader of Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts in 2019.

Zelenskyy chief aide & TV show assistant Shefir was targeted in an assassination attempt in September 2021.
Police: "could be an attempt at intimidation by local oligarchs or the work of Russia, which has had a territorial dispute with Ukraine since 2014."
jta.org/2021/09/23/glo…

Sergey Shefir who was targeted for assassination is chief aide to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy & is involved in Zelenskyy's network of offshore shell companies. But he was previously just a guy involved in Zelenskyy's TV show that was funded and broadcasted by Ihor Kolomoyskyi.

Putin on Ihor Kolomoyskyi, March 3, 2014 following Crimea invasion:
"This is a unique crook. He even managed to cheat our oligarch Roman Abramovich two or three years ago. Scammed him, as our intellectuals like to say."
genius.com/Vladimir-putin…

Oligarchs Weaponized Cyprus Branch of Ukraine’s Largest Bank to Send $5.5 Billion Abroad
occrp.org/en/investigati…

The Kolomoisky Family’s Hidden Swiss Assets
occrp.org/en/investigati…

PrivatBank launched Cyprus operation in late 1990s.
Cash funneled there from Ukraine didn't trigger regulatory action.
Once funds reached Cyprus, they were transferred to other offshore companies.
Cyprus regulators never flagged flows.
Hopes fading stolen money will be recovered.

Money also cycled between Kolomoyskyi and Boholiubov's personal accounts and the businesses they steered, suggesting that no clear boundaries existed between the oligarchs' corporations and their own finances.
The Cyprus branch was described as "a money laundromat, nothing else".

In run-up to PrivatBank's nationalization in December 2016, billions of dollars held in Cyprus branch were moved to other European jurisdictions, out of reach of Ukrainian authorities.
Kolomoyskyi transferred $40 million to his Swiss accounts & billions out of corporate accounts.

One primary route of funds was to PrivatBank Latvia, which had a history of money laundering. In 2015, Moldovan regulators named PrivatBank Latvia as being involved in laundering of money out of the Moldovan state bank.

In May 2014, IMF paid Ukraine the first installment of $17 billion fiscal life raft intended to stabilize Ukraine's economy after Russia's Crimea invasion.
$220 million went to PrivatBank, at least $130 million of which was immediately sent to Cyprus, and on to PrivatBank Latvia.

Less than nine months before PrivatBank Ukraine was nationalized to form the National Bank of Ukraine, PrivatBank Ukraine amended its holdings of PrivatBank Latvia to less than 50% in order to prevent the new Ukrainian National Bank from being able to access or trace funds there.

PrivatBank Latvia was tied to 2014 bank fraud scandal in Ukraine's neighbor Moldova, masterminded by Israeli citizen Ilan Shor, who coordinated an effort involving 3 banks working together to extract as much loan finance as possible from the banks without any business rationale.

Some of the funds Ihor Kolomoyskyi laundered through Cyprus & Latvian branches of PrivatBank seem to have been funneled into villas, yachts, and art galleries in France and Switzerland overseen by his sister, Larisa Chertok, a socialite who runs @Artveras Art Gallery in Geneva.

American end of the fraud seems to penetrate into the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty of Hasidim. Stolen Ukrainian funds were transferred to scions of Chabad-Lubavitch in Miami & then used to purchase real estate and to benefit Chabad-Lubavitch causes across USA.
forward.com/news/440219/fl…

DOJ moves to seize property bought by donors to Jewish nonprofits
"The Forward found that Korf and Laber donated about $25 million to Jewish nonprofits between 2006 and 2018. The men owned shares in the Latvian unit of PrivatBank."
forward.com/fast-forward/4…

2012 article on one of the front men for the American end of this Jewish empire of fraud & criminality.
"The most important guy you've never heard of: Chaim Schochet, 25, builds downtown Cleveland empire"

Chaim Schochet is brother-in-law of Mordechai Korf
cleveland.com/business/2012/…

"Instead of studying buildings, Schochet attended the Rabbinical College of America, in Miami, New York and Toronto. A member of an Orthodox Jewish movement called Chabad -- and very private about his religion -- he graduated with a degree in Judaic studies in 2006."

"Scochet...returned to Florida and joined Optima Ventures, a real estate investment business owned by the leaders of Optima International of Miami and the principals of the Privat Group, one of Ukraine's largest business and banking groups."

""A family connection helped to get me initial consideration," Schochet said, referring to Mordechai "Motti" Korf, his brother-in-law and a co-founder of Optima International. Corporate records show that Korf and businessman Uri Laber formed Optima International in 1994."

"A document provided by Optima to some downtown Cleveland office tenants in 2010 said that the founders of Optima International owned 33.3 percent of the real estate operation. The principals of Privat Group owned the rest."

"Dozens of New York’s Jewish organizations have had their bottom lines bolstered by two businessmen accused of laundering billions for a Burisma-connected Ukrainian oligarch, public records show."
nypost.com/2021/03/06/bus…

"Members of the Jewish Lubavitcher sect who live in sprawling Miami mansions, Korf and Laber have strong ties to Brooklyn and the Ukraine, where they met. Korf’s parents were tasked by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson to establish a Lubavitcher community in Miami."

"Natan Sharansky, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency said Chabad-Lubavitch was an essential connector to Soviet Jewry during the Cold War, while Shimon Peres has stated that it's to Schneerson's credit that "Judaism in the Soviet Union has been preserved""
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_…

Chabad rabbi in Ukraine assists Jewish residents who want to leave for Israel

“What helps us on a day-to-day level is the support of...the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, the former Soviet Union”

Which is funded by the money that they stole!
jns.org/chabad-rabbi-i…

This section of this article about "The Poway Rabbi and His Cohorts" gives a good overview of how Chabad-Lubavitch uses tax-exempt status of their religious networks to launder dirty money which is then used for self-enrichment.
sandiegoreader.com/news/2021/may/…

"Typically, the rabbi received hundreds of thousands of dollars, up to a few million, funneled 90 percent of it back to the donor, and kept 10 percent for himself, not the Chabad."

"The donor claimed the money as a charitable deduction, evading taxes & garnering accolades for his putative generosity. At times, Goldstein paid the 90% kickback with cash, gold coins, gold ingots, or as payments to a donor’s creditors for home construction or college tuition."

"Rabbi Goldstein may receive the least onerous settlement of all, considering how long & corrupt his deception became. U.S. Attorney’s office has said it will seek no prison time for the rabbi...office seeks to mitigate his guilt by boldly asking the judge to forgive Goldstein."

And we'll close with a great irony.
The Ukrainian private army Azov Battalion which uses Nazi symbolism that's been fighting against Russian-backed separatists in East Ukraine is funded by none other than Ihor Kolomoyskyi, the Ukrainian-Israeli-Cypriot fraudster behind Zelenskyy.

Addendum:
A data visualization which shows which Jewish "charities" in the United States that Chabad-Lubavitch scions Mordechai Korf & Uriel Laber spread their dirty PrivatBank Latvia money to from 2006-2018 can be found here:

https://twitter.com/MollyBoigon/status/1230907673727598593?s=20&t=T6kFxIDV7p5Nzx6tMEeMlA

This was reported 2 days ago regarding Larisa Chertok, Israeli sister of Ihor Kolomoyskyi.
“There is no dividing line between Kolomoisky’s activities and those of his sister,” the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service found, as quoted in the court decision.
occrp.org/en/daily/16022…

Shadowy money built steel empire
Justice Department has been investigating Kolomoisky & others in what prosecutors allege was a vast scheme to steal millions of dollars from Ukraine’s largest bank & move the money into U.S. to buy steel mills & skyscrapers
post-gazette.com/news/crime-cou…

Paul Pelletier, former Justice Department fraud unit chief, distinguished the segment of money laundering that went into steel properties in small towns rather than the familiar fraud havens of Miami & New York.
“It harmed real hard-working Americans in Middle America,” he said.