Wanted in Russia, he partied at Mar-a-Lago - and invested in cheap South Florida homes
Long article but well done IMHO.
Wanted in Russia, he partied at Mar-a-Lago – and invested in cheap South Florida homes
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article222746560.html#storylink=cpy
By Nicholas Nehamas and Lily Dobrovolskaya
March 12, 2019 07:00 AM,
Updated 50 minutes ago
Current Time 0:02
/
Duration 0:56
Russian allegedly involved in major tax fraud bought South Florida real estate
Sergey Danilochkin, a Russian real estate investor, is wanted in Russia for involvement in a major tax fraud. Danilochkin, whose case ties into the Magnitsky affair, says he’s innocent. He now lives in South Florida, where he bought cheap condos.
By Patrick Farrell | Marta Oliver Craviotto | Nicholas Nehamas
Last year, President Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club hosted a black-tie “Safari Night” fundraiser for a favorite charity of one of his older sisters. The event included Chinese dancers, a silent art auction and one unusual guest: Sergey Danilochkin, a Russian real estate investor who had settled in South Florida after authorities in his home country accused him of taking part in a massive tax fraud linked to the most contentious corruption case of the 21st century.
Party-goers had no idea they were rubbing shoulders with a wanted man. While the guests sipped cocktails and studied photos of African wildlife, Danilochkin, who is also an aspiring journalist, filmed the bustling ballroom on a smartphone and posted the footage on YouTube. Holding a flute of champagne and wearing a dark suit, the Russian émigré addressed the camera in his native tongue, alluding to the uncanny way Russians seem to turn up in the president’s orbit.
“The most interesting thing,” Danilochkin said, “is that we met a lot of people here who speak Russian.”
Making it to Mar-a-Lago shows how far Danilochkin — who denies the charges against him — has come. In 2010, he fled Moscow fearing for his life as Russian authorities investigated his alleged role in a $170 million tax fraud. The case became big news, especially once it was linked to the organized-crime group behind the so-called “Magnitsky affair,” a Russian corruption scandal that dominated international headlines starting around 2009...............................................
The Magnitsky affair centered on a similar style of tax fraud, and was masterminded by the same organized-crime outfit behind the smaller $170 million theft, according to Russian investigative journalists and Danilochkin himself, who says he was used as a pawn and fall-guy.
He and his attorneys declined to comment for this story.
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Someone else who has recently made big news did attend the Safari Night gala, however: Li “Cindy” Yang, the former owner of the Jupiter massage parlor at the center of the prostitution investigation that netted criminal charges for Patriots owner Robert Kraft and many others last month. Yang posted photos of herself at the event on a website for her consulting business. The business claimed to offer Chinese clients access to Trump, his family and his advisers both at Mar-a-Lago and at the White House, among other places.
The presence of both Yang and Danilochkin at the same event illustrates the way that Trump’s private clubs offer a lightly regulated channel into the president’s social circle.............................
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article222746560.html#storylink=cpy
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