TacoMac
Well-Known Member
From Politico:
Years before President Donald Trump embarked on a campaign to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the real estate mogul’s business was selling condominiums to the strongman’s supporters.
At least half a dozenVenezuelans linked to either Maduro or his predecessor, dictator Hugo Chavez, purchased Trump condos in New York City and South Florida prior to Trump becoming president, according to property records. Several of the individuals faced serious allegations of — and even pleaded guilty to — the type of financial fraud in Venezuela that Trump now regularly decries.
While the sales themselves weren’t illegal, the buyers’ backgrounds and purchase methods made the transactions suspicious, according to financial fraud experts. They noted that many of the purchases were made above the apparent market value, fully in cash or using shell companies to obscure identities — all potential signs of money laundering, the experts said.
The sales have raised questions about whether some of these Venezuelan purchasers were buying Trump properties in order to store ill-gotten gains offshore — an issue Trump as president has vowed to address.
Full article: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/04/trump-real-estate-regime-venezuela-1445264
Years before President Donald Trump embarked on a campaign to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the real estate mogul’s business was selling condominiums to the strongman’s supporters.
At least half a dozenVenezuelans linked to either Maduro or his predecessor, dictator Hugo Chavez, purchased Trump condos in New York City and South Florida prior to Trump becoming president, according to property records. Several of the individuals faced serious allegations of — and even pleaded guilty to — the type of financial fraud in Venezuela that Trump now regularly decries.
While the sales themselves weren’t illegal, the buyers’ backgrounds and purchase methods made the transactions suspicious, according to financial fraud experts. They noted that many of the purchases were made above the apparent market value, fully in cash or using shell companies to obscure identities — all potential signs of money laundering, the experts said.
The sales have raised questions about whether some of these Venezuelan purchasers were buying Trump properties in order to store ill-gotten gains offshore — an issue Trump as president has vowed to address.
Full article: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/04/trump-real-estate-regime-venezuela-1445264
