Timothy L. O'Brien - Journalistic Fraud

Timothy L. O'Brien

"It is rarely a good idea in a news story for the subject and the reporter to be the same person." Richard Tofel (The Wall Street Journal)

What started as a scoop for Times reporter Tim O'Brien became an obsession... O'Brien can become emotional in the pursuit of a story and he had clearly become obsessed with Zeltser (New York Magazine)

"The real dirt in the Bank of New York story isn't only its subject - the Russian mafia - but the strive between a reporter and his source." (Brill's Content)

"Is Timothy O'Brien of the New York Times an aggressive reporter -- or simply aggressive? ... Emanuel Zeltser, a lawyer and board member of the American Russian Law Institute, charges O'Brien went "out of control" last August when he learned Zeltser, one of his best sources, was talking to the Wall Street Journal and other papers." Source Turns on Times Reporter (New York Post)

Timothy O'Brien, who opened the"Russiangate" hysteria in August of last year and then "raised doubts" about his source in January of this year, now, more vigorously than anyone else predicts new scandalous revelations. It is as though he is trying to buy forgiveness for his sin." (Moscow News) "...

"Why was O'Brien permitted
to write January 17 story at all?"
p-brill.jpg (14788 bytes)
"I was doing my job, period, says
Times reporter Timothy O'Brien."

FROM RUSSIAN MONEY LAUNDERING TO RUSSIAN BORSCHT: O'Brien, once Times' business reporter debuts in Restaurant Reviews. Frustrated with the Wall Street Journal's beating him to the breaking Bank of New York-Russian money laundering story, Tim O'Brien strikes back with a "breaking review" on a Russian restaurant. Borscht and Small Talk. NY Times, April 16

Is Tim O'Brien of the NY Times conducting a legitimate journalistic inquiry? You'll be the judge. Click here for O'Brien's "Questionnaire"

The Bank of New York

Russian Mob Scandal

The New York Times scandal - 2003

Letter from MT Editor in Chief to the Editors of the New York Times

RUSSIAN NOUVEAU RICHE APPLAUD O'BRIEN

Corrupt Russian Elite is Glowing Over The Times' Article

January 20 (Moscow Telegraph). Tim O’Brien’s article in the New York Times ("Doubts Raised About Source in Bank of New York Inquiry") is receiving rave reviews by Russia’s financial elite. "We’ve always said that Americans fabricated the whole story" proclaimed a commentator of the Most-Media, Russia’s second largest TV network - "finally, the very reporter who forged this story came to his senses and apologized." Most-Media is a part of financial empire of Vladimir Gusinsky, one of the six most prominent Russian "oligarches". "Americans beg our forgiveness" declared another talk show host.

On August 18 last year, Tim O’Brien and Raymond Bonner broke the story about the money laundering investigation at the Bank of New York. This article launched an immense media exposure of Russian financial machinations in the US.

However on January 17 this year, O’Brien published an incredible retraction suggesting that the New York Times and other press may have been drawing dubious information from a source which O’Brien claimed is tainted, to wit, Emanuel Zeltser, one of the attorneys in a class action against BoNY.

Since Obrien's January 17 article appeared, questions have been raised whether this improbable reporting has been sanctioned from Moscow by those who seek to hush investigations into alleged money laundering by the Russian mob through the Bank of New York. "Article's sole intent appears to be spooking off other reporters, isolating them from a source", said Victor Smolny, a Russian-American journalist.

Numerous complaints to the Times suggest that O’Brien and a San Francisco PI firm of Palladino & Sutherland engaged in a terror campaign against witnesses and lawyers in civil and criminal proceedings, trying to prevent them from giving evidence. The Times vehemently denied working with the Palladino firm. END

RELATED STORIES

Tim O'Brien and The Times Part Company
Timothy L. O'Brien, the New York Times reporter who broke the Bank of New York -Russian money laundering story resigns in disgrace.

Russian Launderers "Spin" Back - The Times Reporter Teams Up with Kagalovsky's Gumshoes
New York Times Reporter, Timothy O'Brien Joins Campaign Against Witnesses Testifying Against Russian Mob-Controlled Banks/.

Is Times Reporter Making Fool of Himself?
In his bizarre January 17, 2000 article Timothy L. O'Brien wrote that Emanuel Zeltser, once the Times primary source for the BoNY-Russian laundering stories, discontinued granting interviews to the idiosyncratic reporter...

Times' Reporter Targets Lawyers, Witnesses
Alarming reports from Moscow and New York show that Russian financial racketeers are back to their usual stratagem of thwarting criminal and civil proceedings by halting media exposure of their money laundering activity in Russia the US.

Moscow Telegraph
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