"FALLEN COMRADES" IN RUSSIANGATE DRAMA
Have Bank of New York Officials Received
Payoffs to Help Launder "Russian Dollars"?
"FALLEN COMRADES" IN RUSSIANGATE DRAMA
Have Bank of New York Officials Received
Payoffs to Help Launder "Russian Dollars"?
by Emily Topol
August 29, New York
THOMAS RENYI
Chairman of the Bank of New YorkDocuments obtained by MT show that top officers of the Bank of New York, including its chairman Thomas Renyi, may have received hefty payoffs through an elaborate network of offshore companies. One such document is a chart of various offshore entities used in a grand scheme of funneling "Russian dollars" into the pockets of the members of BONY Olympus. The scheme bears the logo of the Bank of New York - Inter Maritime Bank of Geneva, a BONY subsidiary. According to sources close to BONY investigation, the chart was developed by BONY experts as a "teaching aid" for presentation to Russian bankers.
Another document is a drawing made on the back of a hospital menu showing how the "spinning" of $30 million through offshore corporations netted BONY seniors "Osadok" (fallout) of 10 million dollars in 21 days. According to sources, the drawing was crafted by former Inkombank boss Vladimir Vinogradov, while he was undergoing medical treatment in the American Pascack Valley Hospital.
The Money Laundering "Teaching Aid"
CLICK TO ZOOM INConfidential eyewitnesses gave evidence that during Mr. Vinogradov's hospital stay in 1994 he was visited by senior officers of BONY. Vinogradov's medical condition did not prevent businessmen from discussing how the monies stolen from Russia and laundered through BONY would be split by dividing ownership in several offshore companies amongst the seniors of Inkombank and the Bank of New York.
Another confidential witness translated telephone conversations between BONY seniors and their Russian counterparts. According to the witness' notes, Russian and American businessmen could never agree on how to divide their loot and which offshore companies should serve as booty sacks. The notes and summaries show that BONY's boss, Mr. Renyi, liked the Panamanian corporation FirstTen and the Cypriot company Kudos. His subordinates, including count Vladimir Kirrillovich Galitzyne, descendent of the Russian royal dynasty preferred a Liechtenstein company, Investa.
Neither Mr. Galitzyne nor Mr. Renyi has been accused of any wrongdoing although the FBI continues to investigate. Both men are still employed by BONY and neither was available for comment.
How to shed the fallout ... Chairmen of Inkom and BONY share their vast experience in Pascack Valley Hospital
CLICK TO ZOOM INIn April of this year, however, the Board of Directors of BONY "punished" Renyi for the Russiangate scandal by cutting his salary. The chairman of America's oldest bank got only six and a half million dollars as compensation for 1999. That's about $800,000 less than Mr. Renyi received in 1998. However, our readers need not be frightened that Renyi will be unable to feed his family. The Wall Street Journal reported that in addition to his salary, the BONY-Boss received 500,000 stock options in addition to another 500,000 given him in 1998, which amount to $11 million give or take. No wonder: the stock of the Bank of New York is at its record high. The laundering of "Russian dollars" pays well!
The other casualties resulting from the BONY scandal include Lucy Edwards (a/k/a Lyudmila Pritsker), a former vice president of BONY, and her husband, Peter Berlin. Both pled guilty in "Matter # 914" to money laundering, tax evasion and visa fraud charges. Also pleaded guilty Svetlana Kudryavtseva, who received $500 per month to help Edwards and Berlin to watch the so-called BENEX accounts.
The only American-born "victim" of the BONY scandal is the former New York Times' reporter, Timothy O'Brien who fathered Russiangate. In August of last year, O’Brien broke the story about the money laundering investigation at the Bank of New York launching unprecedented media exposure of machinations with Russian monies in the US.
TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN
former NY Times journalistHowever on January 17 of this year, O’Brien published an incredible retraction suggesting that the New York Times and other press may have been drawing information from a source which O’Brien claimed is tainted, to wit, Emanuel Zeltser, one of the attorneys in a class action against BoNY. "By publishing this article he committed professional suicide", Maria Berdnikova, a prominent Russian-American newscaster, predicted at the time. She was right. Ever since the publication of O'Brien's infamous article on January 17, it was apparent that the Times could no longer afford the once front page business reporter. First O'Brien was put on book review detail. A few weeks later O’Brien was further downgraded from Russia-related books to reviewing Russian restaurants -- compelled to write a "breaking story" about borscht in Manhattan’s Russian Samovar. However these half measures did not work and at the end of April O’Brien was allowed to resign from the Times (strictly "on his own volition", of course). "Words are like sparrows" - goes Russian proverb - "once flown off they cannot be recaptured". O'Brien did not return our telephone calls.
Matter # 914 continues and sources say that new victims are fatalistically awaiting their turns. We'll keep you informed. END
©Copiright 2000 US~Russia Press Club
Related articles:
Inkombank Former Management May End Up Behind Bars
Witness in the Bank of New York Case Attacked
Banker Told to Submit Records. New York Times,March 2, 2001
Bank of New York Loses Yet Another Round In CourtJudge in Bank of New York Case Concludes Charges are not Frivolous December 13, 2001 (MT)
Fallen Comrades" in Russiangate Drama. By: Emily Topol (MT) May 16, 2000
Judge Doubts the Bank of New York can Investigate Itself NOV. 13 (MT-WIRE)
The Bank of New York Management Attacks Director of American Russian Law Institute (MT 09/12/2000)
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