If you think this is bad, wait until you find out what goes on in the Child Welfare System.
#maytheheavensfall
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Showing posts sorted by date for query mariia butina. Sort by relevance Show all posts
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Friday, January 17, 2020
DOJ: Former Senior Fincen Employee Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Unlawfully Disclose Suspicious Activity Reports
For the history of the case, click here.
And here.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
And here.
Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards Illegally Repeatedly Transmitted SARs and Other Sensitive Government Information To A Reporter Resulting In Approximately 12 News Articles Over 1-Year Period
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NATALIE MAYFLOWER SOURS EDWARDS, a/k/a “Natalie Sours,” a/k/a “Natalie May Edwards,” a/k/a “May Edwards,” a former senior adviser at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), pled guilty today to conspiring to unlawfully disclose Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”). EDWARDS pled guilty before United States District Judge Gregory H. Woods.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As she has now admitted, Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, a former senior-level FinCEN employee, abused her position of trust by agreeing to repeatedly disclose highly sensitive information contained in Suspicious Activity Reports. Maintaining the confidentiality of SARs, which are filed by banks and other financial institutions to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions, is essential to permit them to serve their statutory function, and the defendant’s conduct violated the integrity of that critical system and the law.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, Information, publicly available information, court filings, and statements made during the plea proceeding:
The mission of FinCEN is to “safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.”[1] Among other things, FinCEN manages the collection and maintenance of SARs regarding potentially suspicious financial transactions, which, under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), U.S. financial institutions and other parties are required by law to generate and deliver to FinCEN. Under the BSA and its implementing regulations, willful disclosure of a SAR or its contents by government employees or agents is a felony unless necessary to fulfill official duties.
Beginning in approximately October 2017, and lasting until her arrest in October 2018, EDWARDS agreed to and did unlawfully disclose numerous SARs to a reporter (“Reporter-1”), the substance of which were published over the course of approximately 12 articles by a news organization for which Reporter-1 worked (“News Organization-1”). The illegally disclosed SARs pertained to, among other things, Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, the Russian Embassy, Mariia Butina, and Prevezon Alexander. EDWARDS had access to each of the pertinent SARs and saved them – along with thousands of other files containing sensitive government information – to a flash drive provided to her by FinCEN. She transmitted the SARs to Reporter-1 by means that included taking photographs or images of them and texting the photographs or images to Reporter-1 over an encrypted application. In addition to disseminating SARs to Reporter-1, EDWARDS sent or described to Reporter-1 internal FinCEN emails or correspondence appearing to relate to SARs or other information protected by the BSA, and FinCEN nonpublic memoranda, including Investigative Memos and Intelligence Assessments published by the FinCEN Intelligence Division, which contained confidential personal information, business information, and/or security threat assessments.
At the time of EDWARDS’s arrest, she was in possession of a flash drive on which she saved the unlawfully disclosed SARs, and a cellphone containing numerous communications over an encrypted application in which she transmitted SARs and other sensitive government information to Reporter-1.
* * *
EDWARDS, 41, of Quinton, Virginia, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to make unauthorized disclosures of SARs, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. EDWARDS is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Woods on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentence of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly J. Ravener, Daniel C. Richenthal, and Maurene R. Comey are in charge of the prosecution.
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Friday, December 20, 2019
Michigan Steve Marino Gets Another Pass On Public Corruption
Nice looking out, Chad, but this may be a Detroit Grand Jury Issue...dealing with Grand Rapids, but, hey, what do I know?
I know this tale has yet to be told...or did the Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed start unraveling this one almost two decades ago?
Who knows.
We must sit and mull the moment Trump decides to stop obstructing justice and pull that IG Report from his backpocket.
Perhaps, we, the people, for not wanting to be misunderstood in translation for saying "us" when it was to mean "U.S.", must just wait and see if the world shall be granted that backpocket New Year's gift.
Oh, humbug...at least Mariia Butina is free.
State Rep. Steve Marino, whose name surfaced repeatedly at the Larry Inman bribery trial in Lansing, has engaged in a host of political shenanigans throughout his political career, all the way back to, well, to 2014 when he was first elected at age 25.
The young Republican from Macomb County raised suspicions that he was allegedly involved in Rep. Inman’s scheme to pocket $10,000—perhaps as much as $30,000—in campaign contributions in exchange for voting to maintain the state’s prevailing wage law. Testimony suggested that Marino allegedly was keeping a tally of planned money exchanges as 12 House Republicans were targeted in 2018 by the carpenters union for an infusion of campaign bucks as an incentive to preserve the law.
During the trial, investigators tried to subpoena Marino to force him to testify. But they couldn’t find him. The FBI tried to interview him but he reportedly “made himself unavailable” and stopped returning the bureau’s phone calls. Inman, a Grand Rapids Republican, was saved by a deadlocked jury, though prosecutors may try him again. Marino is the guy who got away. Scot free.
A strange path into politics
Yet, Marino’s story of strange and sometimes sleazy politics took several twists and turns before that futile attempt to serve him with a subpoena.
The Harrison Township Republican decided in 2013, for God knows what reason, to pursue a career in politics. At that point, since he had first become a registered voter five years earlier, Marino had cast a ballot in just three of 13 elections. Among those he missed were the 2008 and 2010 general elections and the presidential primary of 2012.
Marino ran for county commissioner and caught a break. His challenger in the August 2014 GOP primary died in June, early enough so his name could be removed from the ballot, leaving Marino unopposed for the nomination. He won the general election that fall by tacitly inserting into the campaign the sudden death of the wife of his Democratic competitor, a tragedy years earlier that led to personal bankruptcy for the candidate.
Based on his campaign resume, Marino was an apparently self-employed political consultant (with no political experience) who specialized in assisting candidates with completion of their campaign finance reports. During the campaign, the county fined Marino for failing to file his campaign finance report on time.
Marino – enforcer of integrity?
When the commissioners were sworn into office in January 2015, they elected Marino as their Sergeant-At-Arms. That’s the guy who is supposed to keep everything orderly and proper during meetings of the Board of Commissioners. Steve Marino – enforcer of integrity in Macomb County government.
Things got a lot more shady when Marino quickly decided that he needed a promotion. In February 2016, he announced his candidacy for state House in a highly competitive, nearly 50-50 district.
That’s when Marino, then a 27-year-old lobbyist, became infamous in Michigan politics. Democrat “trackers” secretly taped Marino’s remarks to small groups of constituents and supporters at informal coffee klatch events that summer.
The tapes made public by the Democrat Party caught Marino saying: U.S. corporations should take advantage of overseas child labor laws in factories that employ kids 10 to 12 years old; the Social Security eligibility age should be raised to 75; outsourcing jobs to China is an effective means for corporations to avoid paying American wage rates; as a lobbyist, he paid big bar tabs racked up by state legislators and, that he engaged in a ploy to avoid paying part of his property tax bill on the lakefront home he bought from his father.
When the media grabbed ahold of the story, Marino backpedaled furiously. He recanted the story about buying booze for lawmakers, shamelessly saying he made it all up.
The liberal website Eclectablog concluded that Marino is either, “a sleazy lobbyist, a tax cheat, or an unmitigated liar. Or maybe all of the above.”
It seemed that things couldn’t get worse for Marino. But they did.
Indicted drug dealer to host his fundraiser
He announced an October campaign fundraiser at the home of his neighbor, Dr. Jennifer Franklin, though the invitations didn’t mention that she had been indicted by the feds as part of a drug ring that pedaled addictive pain killers such as Oxycodone.
Marino tried to spin the story when Franklin’s background became public, but in the end he cancelled the event. Months later, Franklin pleaded guilty in federal court to using her authority as a physician to help sell more than $2 million in pain pills on the street.
The political situation became so bad, Republican leaders in Lansing and pro-GOP lobbyists were ready to cut the cord on the self-destructive Marino, though his district was a high priority for the party.
Still, on Election Day in November 2016 Marino easily won election in the 24th House District (Harrison Township and parts of Clinton and Macomb townships), over a well-known Democrat county commissioner. Straight-ticket voting and the pro-Donald Trump furor, especially in that area of Macomb County, certainly played a major factor. He won re-election to the House by an identical margin in 2018.
To this day, it seems a safe bet that many of Marino’s constituents are entirely unaware of his path to that House seat or his recent ties to the Inman bribery scandal. Maybe some know him from his outrageous dog-and-pony show in 2017 when he introduced a package of bills to toughen ethics rules for legislators.
For others, in the wake of all the Macomb County political corruption unearthed in recent years, perhaps Marino is accepted as a chip off the old block.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
I know this tale has yet to be told...or did the Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed start unraveling this one almost two decades ago?
Who knows.
We must sit and mull the moment Trump decides to stop obstructing justice and pull that IG Report from his backpocket.
Perhaps, we, the people, for not wanting to be misunderstood in translation for saying "us" when it was to mean "U.S.", must just wait and see if the world shall be granted that backpocket New Year's gift.
Oh, humbug...at least Mariia Butina is free.
Steve Marino Escapes Controversy…Again
By Chad Selweski on December 20th, 2019 |
| Steve Marino |
The young Republican from Macomb County raised suspicions that he was allegedly involved in Rep. Inman’s scheme to pocket $10,000—perhaps as much as $30,000—in campaign contributions in exchange for voting to maintain the state’s prevailing wage law. Testimony suggested that Marino allegedly was keeping a tally of planned money exchanges as 12 House Republicans were targeted in 2018 by the carpenters union for an infusion of campaign bucks as an incentive to preserve the law.
During the trial, investigators tried to subpoena Marino to force him to testify. But they couldn’t find him. The FBI tried to interview him but he reportedly “made himself unavailable” and stopped returning the bureau’s phone calls. Inman, a Grand Rapids Republican, was saved by a deadlocked jury, though prosecutors may try him again. Marino is the guy who got away. Scot free.
A strange path into politics
Yet, Marino’s story of strange and sometimes sleazy politics took several twists and turns before that futile attempt to serve him with a subpoena.
The Harrison Township Republican decided in 2013, for God knows what reason, to pursue a career in politics. At that point, since he had first become a registered voter five years earlier, Marino had cast a ballot in just three of 13 elections. Among those he missed were the 2008 and 2010 general elections and the presidential primary of 2012.
Marino ran for county commissioner and caught a break. His challenger in the August 2014 GOP primary died in June, early enough so his name could be removed from the ballot, leaving Marino unopposed for the nomination. He won the general election that fall by tacitly inserting into the campaign the sudden death of the wife of his Democratic competitor, a tragedy years earlier that led to personal bankruptcy for the candidate.
Based on his campaign resume, Marino was an apparently self-employed political consultant (with no political experience) who specialized in assisting candidates with completion of their campaign finance reports. During the campaign, the county fined Marino for failing to file his campaign finance report on time.
Marino – enforcer of integrity?
When the commissioners were sworn into office in January 2015, they elected Marino as their Sergeant-At-Arms. That’s the guy who is supposed to keep everything orderly and proper during meetings of the Board of Commissioners. Steve Marino – enforcer of integrity in Macomb County government.
Things got a lot more shady when Marino quickly decided that he needed a promotion. In February 2016, he announced his candidacy for state House in a highly competitive, nearly 50-50 district.
That’s when Marino, then a 27-year-old lobbyist, became infamous in Michigan politics. Democrat “trackers” secretly taped Marino’s remarks to small groups of constituents and supporters at informal coffee klatch events that summer.
The tapes made public by the Democrat Party caught Marino saying: U.S. corporations should take advantage of overseas child labor laws in factories that employ kids 10 to 12 years old; the Social Security eligibility age should be raised to 75; outsourcing jobs to China is an effective means for corporations to avoid paying American wage rates; as a lobbyist, he paid big bar tabs racked up by state legislators and, that he engaged in a ploy to avoid paying part of his property tax bill on the lakefront home he bought from his father.
When the media grabbed ahold of the story, Marino backpedaled furiously. He recanted the story about buying booze for lawmakers, shamelessly saying he made it all up.
The liberal website Eclectablog concluded that Marino is either, “a sleazy lobbyist, a tax cheat, or an unmitigated liar. Or maybe all of the above.”
It seemed that things couldn’t get worse for Marino. But they did.
Indicted drug dealer to host his fundraiser
He announced an October campaign fundraiser at the home of his neighbor, Dr. Jennifer Franklin, though the invitations didn’t mention that she had been indicted by the feds as part of a drug ring that pedaled addictive pain killers such as Oxycodone.
Marino tried to spin the story when Franklin’s background became public, but in the end he cancelled the event. Months later, Franklin pleaded guilty in federal court to using her authority as a physician to help sell more than $2 million in pain pills on the street.
The political situation became so bad, Republican leaders in Lansing and pro-GOP lobbyists were ready to cut the cord on the self-destructive Marino, though his district was a high priority for the party.
Still, on Election Day in November 2016 Marino easily won election in the 24th House District (Harrison Township and parts of Clinton and Macomb townships), over a well-known Democrat county commissioner. Straight-ticket voting and the pro-Donald Trump furor, especially in that area of Macomb County, certainly played a major factor. He won re-election to the House by an identical margin in 2018.
To this day, it seems a safe bet that many of Marino’s constituents are entirely unaware of his path to that House seat or his recent ties to the Inman bribery scandal. Maybe some know him from his outrageous dog-and-pony show in 2017 when he introduced a package of bills to toughen ethics rules for legislators.
For others, in the wake of all the Macomb County political corruption unearthed in recent years, perhaps Marino is accepted as a chip off the old block.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Paul Whelan Lost His Job - Mariia Butina Is Still Free
Well, I bet that sucks.
FUN FACT! PAUL WHELAN IS A CONSTITUENT OF MELISSA SLOTKIN
Paul Whelan, a Novi man held on spying charges in Russia, has had his job back in Michigan eliminated.
Automotive parts supplier BorgWarner eliminated Whelan's job on Friday, company officials confirmed, as Whelan approaches the one-year anniversary of his arrest and imprisonment in Russia.
BorgWarner spokeswoman Kathy Graham said on Wednesday that Whelan's job as director of global security for the auto parts supplier was eliminated as part of corporate restructuring efforts announced in April.
"His position was eliminated as part of that," Graham said.
Graham said the company worked through the proper channels to notify Whelan's representatives of the termination as he remains in Russian custody.
Whelan worked for Auburn Hills-based BorgWarner since January 2017 and was responsible for overseeing security at facilities around the world.
BorgWarner doesn't have any operations in Russia, although it has customers there, company officials have said. Graham has said previously that she didn't think Whelan had traveled to Russia on the company's behalf since he started working there.
Whelan’s family has said the 49-year-old Novi man was in Russia for a friend’s wedding when he was arrested Dec. 28 in a Moscow hotel room and charged with espionage.
His lawyers have said Whelan was framed and had no knowledge of the classified data on a flash drive he was handed as part of the alleged setup.
Whelan's brother, David, said in an email on Wednesday that Paul's health has declined and his life has "unraveled, collateral damage in the Russian Federation's geopolitical gamesmanship."
David said the firing from BorgWarner "increases the strain on our family's ability to keep some semblance of his former life ready for when he returns home."
David also said his brother will have another detention hearing around Christmas Day.
"Without action in Washington, D.C., to secure his freedom, his life will continue to unravel and Paul will end up spending many more months as a political prisoner of the Russian government," David said in the email.
In October, the U.S. House unanimously approved a resolution urging Russia to produce “credible” evidence against Whelan or “immediately” release him.
A former U.S. Marine, Whelan has been held in Lefortovo Prison for several months without Russian authorities presenting “evidence of supposed wrongdoing,” the resolution said.
Whelan's family and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have raised concerns about his declining health due to a hernia, as well as his treatment and isolation by authorities in Russia. A trial is not expected until early 2020.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
FUN FACT! PAUL WHELAN IS A CONSTITUENT OF MELISSA SLOTKIN
Novi man in prison in Russia loses job at BorgWarner
 |
| Paul Whelan |
Automotive parts supplier BorgWarner eliminated Whelan's job on Friday, company officials confirmed, as Whelan approaches the one-year anniversary of his arrest and imprisonment in Russia.
BorgWarner spokeswoman Kathy Graham said on Wednesday that Whelan's job as director of global security for the auto parts supplier was eliminated as part of corporate restructuring efforts announced in April.
"His position was eliminated as part of that," Graham said.
Graham said the company worked through the proper channels to notify Whelan's representatives of the termination as he remains in Russian custody.
Whelan worked for Auburn Hills-based BorgWarner since January 2017 and was responsible for overseeing security at facilities around the world.
BorgWarner doesn't have any operations in Russia, although it has customers there, company officials have said. Graham has said previously that she didn't think Whelan had traveled to Russia on the company's behalf since he started working there.
Whelan’s family has said the 49-year-old Novi man was in Russia for a friend’s wedding when he was arrested Dec. 28 in a Moscow hotel room and charged with espionage.
His lawyers have said Whelan was framed and had no knowledge of the classified data on a flash drive he was handed as part of the alleged setup.
Whelan's brother, David, said in an email on Wednesday that Paul's health has declined and his life has "unraveled, collateral damage in the Russian Federation's geopolitical gamesmanship."
David said the firing from BorgWarner "increases the strain on our family's ability to keep some semblance of his former life ready for when he returns home."
David also said his brother will have another detention hearing around Christmas Day.
"Without action in Washington, D.C., to secure his freedom, his life will continue to unravel and Paul will end up spending many more months as a political prisoner of the Russian government," David said in the email.
In October, the U.S. House unanimously approved a resolution urging Russia to produce “credible” evidence against Whelan or “immediately” release him.
A former U.S. Marine, Whelan has been held in Lefortovo Prison for several months without Russian authorities presenting “evidence of supposed wrongdoing,” the resolution said.
Whelan's family and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have raised concerns about his declining health due to a hernia, as well as his treatment and isolation by authorities in Russia. A trial is not expected until early 2020.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Maria Butina Is Deported But Paul Whelan Is Not
No one speaks upon Michigan.
This is not an exchange.
This is due process.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina was released from a Florida prison on Friday after serving most of her 18-month sentence for conspiring to influence U.S. conservative activists and infiltrate a powerful gun rights group, and taken into custody by immigration officials to be deported to her native country.
Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina is accompanied by federal agents after her release from a Florida prison, during her transfer onto a jet bound for Moscow at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S. October 25, 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS.
Butina, 31, had been scheduled for release from the low-security prison in Tallahassee in early November, but a change in federal law moved up her release date based on credit for good behavior, her attorney Robert Driscoll said.
A prison official confirmed she was released on Friday morning and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities.
She left Miami International Airport on a direct flight to Moscow at about 6 p.m. (2200 GMT), ICE said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously expressed “outrage” over Butina’s prison sentence and said she did not carry out any orders from Russian security services.
Butina, a former graduate student at American University in Washington who publicly advocated for gun rights, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to act as a foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
The Siberia native admitted to conspiring with a Russian official and two Americans to infiltrate the National Rifle Association, a group closely aligned with U.S. conservatives and Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, and create unofficial lines of communication to try to shape Washington’s policy toward Moscow.
Her 18-month sentence included nine months she spent incarcerated after her July 2018 arrest.
Butina’s case was separate from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, which detailed numerous contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Her activities occurred during the same period as the contacts investigated by Mueller.
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL
The Russian official with whom Butina conspired was later identified as Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia’s central bank. He was never charged in the case, but was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department.
One of the two Americans referenced in her case was conservative political activist Paul Erickson, her boyfriend. Erickson was not charged for his links to Butina, but was indicted on unrelated wire fraud and money laundering charges in South Dakota. The case against Erickson is still pending.
In addition, Overstock.com (OSTK.O) Chief Executive Officer Patrick Byrne resigned in August after confirming a report by Fox News contributor Sara Carter that he also had an intimate relationship with Butina.
Federal prosecutors have said Butina did not engage in “traditional” spy craft, but worked behind the scenes to make inroads in conservative political circles and promote friendlier U.S.-Russian relations. She arranged dinners in Washington and New York and attended events to meet prominent politicians.
Butina in 2015 appeared at a Trump campaign event and asked him a question about whether he wanted better relations with Russia. Trump responded by telling Butina that he would “get along very nicely with Putin.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year accused the United States of forcing Butina to make a false confession to “absolutely ridiculous charges” of being a Russian agent.
Slideshow (2 Images)
“It’s not clear what she was convicted of or what crime she committed,” Putin said in April. “I think it’s a prime example of ‘saving face.’ They arrested her and put the girl in jail. But there was nothing on her, so in order not to look totally stupid they gave her, fixed her up, with an 18-month sentence to show that she was guilty of something.”
Asked whether Washington now expects Russia to release a former U.S. Marine named Paul Whelan currently being held on accusations of espionage, a State Department spokesperson said, “We continue to urge the Russian government to ensure a fair trial, including a fair and public hearing without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations.”
A Russian court on Thursday ordered Whelan, detained in 2018, held in custody until Dec. 29.
Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, has denied the espionage allegations.
Media caption'My human rights are being violated and my life threatened'
Ten months after his arrest on espionage charges in Moscow, ex-US marine Paul Whelan has said he is more like naive, fictional buffoon Mr Bean than suave spy James Bond.
Russia says he was caught red-handed with state secrets on electronic files.
A judge extended his pre-trial detention until 29 December.
As the judge delivered his ruling, Mr Whelan defied orders to keep quiet, reading a statement from a cage guarded by an FSB officer in a balaclava.
"Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission. In reality, they abducted Mr Bean on holiday," Mr Whelan told the court.
A regular visitor to Russia, who made many friends over the years, Paul Whelan was detained at the Metropol hotel in December. He says he was getting ready for a wedding when an old friend turned up unexpectedly. Moments later, security officers burst in and arrested him for receiving state secrets.
Mr Whelan claims the flash drive they found was planted by the friend: an FSB officer he believes betrayed him.
His lawyers, who are now working their way through several thousand pages of the case files - including surveillance material - say they've still seen nothing to prove his guilt.
He has become increasingly defiant at his court appearances, a rare few hours out of his prison cell every three months.
Media captionRussia spy case: Is Paul Whelan a hostage of Russia or a spy?
This time he told the BBC the case against him was "a joke".
"This is just a hostage situation," he said in court.
The American, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian passports, suspects he's a victim of plummeting relations between Russia and the West. Some have speculated that Moscow wants to swap him for a Russian prisoner abroad, though the Foreign Ministry here denies that.
Its spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, insists he was caught red-handed. "We have the facts," she said last week.
At his latest hearing, the ex-Marine requested the prosecutor and judge be replaced for their failure to investigate his claims of ill treatment and a lack of objectivity.
Mr Whelan was guarded in the defendants' cage by a balaclava-clad FSB officer
When the judge refused, as neither are official grounds for recusal, Mr Whelan displayed mock incredulity.
"So if the prosecutor were my sister that would be illegal, but human rights violations are fine?'" he asked.
"What do you think, Alexei? Shall we go for it?" he then joked to the chief investigator, wondering whether to request his removal too.
"It's your right," the FSB officer replied in English, with a smile.
But this high-profile case is a serious matter.
Mr Whelan claimed today he had been assaulted by prison staff. His lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said later that a guard had been disciplined following a dispute over the American "jumping and singing" during his daily exercise hour.
More serious still, the espionage charge he's facing carries a 20-year prison sentence.
Paul Whelan - innocent wedding guest or spy?
Former US marine alleges set-up in Russia spy case
Ex-marine calls Russia spy case 'political kidnap'
The investigation is now complete and his legal team say there is "lots in their favour" in the files they've been handed: none of his other Russian friends have said he claimed to be a spy or tried to recruit them.
But the lawyers say Mr Whelan is going through the papers himself in such detail, his trial is now unlikely to start before Spring.
Mr Whelan's family insist he was only visiting Russia to attend a friend's wedding
'I said to him, maybe we should get it over and done with this year? Get you home sooner,' Mr Zherebenkov recalled. 'But he wants to read everything, very carefully.'
The team have talked before of possible "misunderstandings" between Mr Whelan and his FSB "friend". They've hinted at jokes, maybe lost in translation. His family confirm that he's well known for his "banter", as displayed recently in court.
That may explain Mr Whelan likening himself to the hapless, but harmless, Mr Bean. It's hard to judge as the case is secret, including details on what data he allegedly sought, who for and how.
But Paul Wheel argues there's nothing to hide. So as he was led out of court in handcuffs, he attempted to break the blackout by flinging a copy of the latest court ruling at me down the corridor. It was scooped up by a Western diplomat. Only, the information it reveals is classified.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
This is not an exchange.
This is due process.
#FreeMariaButina
Russian agent Butina released from U.S. prison, deported
 |
| Mariia Butina |
Convicted Russian agent Maria Butina is accompanied by federal agents after her release from a Florida prison, during her transfer onto a jet bound for Moscow at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S. October 25, 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS.
Butina, 31, had been scheduled for release from the low-security prison in Tallahassee in early November, but a change in federal law moved up her release date based on credit for good behavior, her attorney Robert Driscoll said.
A prison official confirmed she was released on Friday morning and taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities.
She left Miami International Airport on a direct flight to Moscow at about 6 p.m. (2200 GMT), ICE said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously expressed “outrage” over Butina’s prison sentence and said she did not carry out any orders from Russian security services.
Butina, a former graduate student at American University in Washington who publicly advocated for gun rights, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to act as a foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
The Siberia native admitted to conspiring with a Russian official and two Americans to infiltrate the National Rifle Association, a group closely aligned with U.S. conservatives and Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, and create unofficial lines of communication to try to shape Washington’s policy toward Moscow.
Her 18-month sentence included nine months she spent incarcerated after her July 2018 arrest.
Butina’s case was separate from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, which detailed numerous contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Her activities occurred during the same period as the contacts investigated by Mueller.
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL
The Russian official with whom Butina conspired was later identified as Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia’s central bank. He was never charged in the case, but was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department.
One of the two Americans referenced in her case was conservative political activist Paul Erickson, her boyfriend. Erickson was not charged for his links to Butina, but was indicted on unrelated wire fraud and money laundering charges in South Dakota. The case against Erickson is still pending.
In addition, Overstock.com (OSTK.O) Chief Executive Officer Patrick Byrne resigned in August after confirming a report by Fox News contributor Sara Carter that he also had an intimate relationship with Butina.
Federal prosecutors have said Butina did not engage in “traditional” spy craft, but worked behind the scenes to make inroads in conservative political circles and promote friendlier U.S.-Russian relations. She arranged dinners in Washington and New York and attended events to meet prominent politicians.
Butina in 2015 appeared at a Trump campaign event and asked him a question about whether he wanted better relations with Russia. Trump responded by telling Butina that he would “get along very nicely with Putin.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year accused the United States of forcing Butina to make a false confession to “absolutely ridiculous charges” of being a Russian agent.
Slideshow (2 Images)
“It’s not clear what she was convicted of or what crime she committed,” Putin said in April. “I think it’s a prime example of ‘saving face.’ They arrested her and put the girl in jail. But there was nothing on her, so in order not to look totally stupid they gave her, fixed her up, with an 18-month sentence to show that she was guilty of something.”
Asked whether Washington now expects Russia to release a former U.S. Marine named Paul Whelan currently being held on accusations of espionage, a State Department spokesperson said, “We continue to urge the Russian government to ensure a fair trial, including a fair and public hearing without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations.”
A Russian court on Thursday ordered Whelan, detained in 2018, held in custody until Dec. 29.
Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, has denied the espionage allegations.
Paul Whelan: Russia spy suspect 'more Mr Bean than James Bond'
Media caption'My human rights are being violated and my life threatened'
Ten months after his arrest on espionage charges in Moscow, ex-US marine Paul Whelan has said he is more like naive, fictional buffoon Mr Bean than suave spy James Bond.
Russia says he was caught red-handed with state secrets on electronic files.
A judge extended his pre-trial detention until 29 December.
As the judge delivered his ruling, Mr Whelan defied orders to keep quiet, reading a statement from a cage guarded by an FSB officer in a balaclava.
"Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission. In reality, they abducted Mr Bean on holiday," Mr Whelan told the court.
A regular visitor to Russia, who made many friends over the years, Paul Whelan was detained at the Metropol hotel in December. He says he was getting ready for a wedding when an old friend turned up unexpectedly. Moments later, security officers burst in and arrested him for receiving state secrets.
Mr Whelan claims the flash drive they found was planted by the friend: an FSB officer he believes betrayed him.
His lawyers, who are now working their way through several thousand pages of the case files - including surveillance material - say they've still seen nothing to prove his guilt.
He has become increasingly defiant at his court appearances, a rare few hours out of his prison cell every three months.
Media captionRussia spy case: Is Paul Whelan a hostage of Russia or a spy?
This time he told the BBC the case against him was "a joke".
"This is just a hostage situation," he said in court.
The American, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian passports, suspects he's a victim of plummeting relations between Russia and the West. Some have speculated that Moscow wants to swap him for a Russian prisoner abroad, though the Foreign Ministry here denies that.
Its spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, insists he was caught red-handed. "We have the facts," she said last week.
At his latest hearing, the ex-Marine requested the prosecutor and judge be replaced for their failure to investigate his claims of ill treatment and a lack of objectivity.
Mr Whelan was guarded in the defendants' cage by a balaclava-clad FSB officer
When the judge refused, as neither are official grounds for recusal, Mr Whelan displayed mock incredulity.
"So if the prosecutor were my sister that would be illegal, but human rights violations are fine?'" he asked.
"What do you think, Alexei? Shall we go for it?" he then joked to the chief investigator, wondering whether to request his removal too.
"It's your right," the FSB officer replied in English, with a smile.
But this high-profile case is a serious matter.
Mr Whelan claimed today he had been assaulted by prison staff. His lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said later that a guard had been disciplined following a dispute over the American "jumping and singing" during his daily exercise hour.
More serious still, the espionage charge he's facing carries a 20-year prison sentence.
Paul Whelan - innocent wedding guest or spy?
Former US marine alleges set-up in Russia spy case
Ex-marine calls Russia spy case 'political kidnap'
The investigation is now complete and his legal team say there is "lots in their favour" in the files they've been handed: none of his other Russian friends have said he claimed to be a spy or tried to recruit them.
But the lawyers say Mr Whelan is going through the papers himself in such detail, his trial is now unlikely to start before Spring.
Mr Whelan's family insist he was only visiting Russia to attend a friend's wedding
'I said to him, maybe we should get it over and done with this year? Get you home sooner,' Mr Zherebenkov recalled. 'But he wants to read everything, very carefully.'
The team have talked before of possible "misunderstandings" between Mr Whelan and his FSB "friend". They've hinted at jokes, maybe lost in translation. His family confirm that he's well known for his "banter", as displayed recently in court.
That may explain Mr Whelan likening himself to the hapless, but harmless, Mr Bean. It's hard to judge as the case is secret, including details on what data he allegedly sought, who for and how.
But Paul Wheel argues there's nothing to hide. So as he was led out of court in handcuffs, he attempted to break the blackout by flinging a copy of the latest court ruling at me down the corridor. It was scooped up by a Western diplomat. Only, the information it reveals is classified.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Paul Whelan Update - Mariia Butina Is Still Not Free
I guess Paul's brother does not read my blog because if he did, he would know why Russia is holding him.
Russia seeks prisoner exchange, but stops short of swap for Paul Whelan
But Ryabkov stopped short of saying Russia would be willing to release Michigander Paul Whelan — who was arrested in December and charged with espionage — as part of the trade.
Ryabkov told the RIA news agency that it wouldn't be right to include Whelan in a prisoner swap with the U.S. because Whelan has not yet been convicted in the Russian court system.
Whelan's detention has continued for more than six months as Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) investigators look for evidence the former U.S. Marine was spying during his trip to the country late last year.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment Tuesday on Ryabkov's offer.
"The U.S. government continues to closely follow all cases of imprisoned U.S. citizens in Russia," a State Department spokeswoman told the Free Press in an email. "We do not read out our private diplomatic discussions."
Yaroshenko was arrested in 2010 by U.S. special forces in Liberia and later convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and is serving time in a low-security correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut.
His release has been long-sought by Russian authorities.
Tatiana Moskalkova, the Russian Federation's high commissioner for human rights, sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 asking for a pardon for Yaroshenko. It was denied.
The news comes as U.S. officials grow increasingly concerned about Whelan's health in Moscow's Lefortovo prison. The 49-year-old global security director for Auburn Hills-based auto supplier BorgWarner has not been seen by an independent doctor, said Andrea Kalan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, in a tweet.
His condition, she said, is worsening.
#PaulWhelan gets basic medical care at Lefortovo, but his condition needs more than the prison can provide. We asked in April for an outside exam at no cost to the Russian govt. Request denied, yet Paul’s condition worsens. Welfare of U.S. citizens abroad is our highest priority. https://t.co/AewxpDH2kh— Andrea Kalan (@USEmbRuPress) July 1, 2019
Whelan's family has declined to share details about his health condition out of concern for his privacy. But his twin brother, David Whelan, said the Russian prison doesn't offer much beyond basic First Aid and emergency medical care.
"And they appear only be able to provide it in the Russian language," David Whelan said. "Like many people in their late 40s, Paul has health concerns that need professional attention, to avoid them becoming emergencies. The Russian Foreign Ministry rejection of the US government request that an English-speaking physician be allowed to examine Paul is disappointing."
A State Department spokeswoman said the agency is continuing to press for "fair and humane treatment, due process, and access to appropriate medical care. We take allegations of mistreatment seriously, and will continue to raise Mr. Whelan’s case at every opportunity. The Department has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad. We urge the Russian government to guarantee a fair and transparent judicial process without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations."
Whelan, who lives in Novi, denies he is a spy and has told reporters during court appearances that he is a victim of political kidnapping.
At a detention hearing in late June, Whelan asked President Trump to intervene on his behalf.
Although Trump has yet to make a statement (or tweet) about Whelan, others in his administration — most recently U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton — have spoken out against the continued detention of an American citizen without evidence from the Russian government to support its claims of espionage.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges Whelan was caught in possession of a flash drive containing classified information at his hotel in Moscow. Whelan has told his lawyers that the flash drive came from a Russian friend, and that he was under the impression that it contained photos of the friend's hometown.
He will continue to be held in a Moscow prison at least until his next court hearing at the end of August, his lawyers have said. A trial date has not yet been set in his case.
David Whelan said Tuesday that the family has not discussed with U.S. officials the possibility of a prisoner swap.
"We haven't spoken with the U.S. government about swaps or sanctions, or any other tool of diplomacy they might use to bring Paul home," he wrote in an email to the Free Press. "We are leaving it up to the professional diplomats to work out the tool and the timing. Hopefully it will be sooner than later."
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Cocktalis & Popcorn: Does Justin Amash Know Mariia Butina? - He Resigned From House Freedom Caucus
Justin Amash if from Michigan.
Justin Amish knows John Conyers, Jr.
Justin Amash read the Mueller Report that was in the basement of the Rayburn Building, for six weeks, where only a handful of Members took the opportunity to look at it.
Grand Rapids is in his Congressional District, where the DeVos Dynasty was created.
Justin Amash knows about Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare, Alpha Bank and Spectrum Health.
Justin Amash knows about the Kent County Land Bank.
Justin Amash knows about the Michigan GOP and its relations with the NRA.
Justin Amash knows about SIGTARP.
I am wondering if Justin Amash knows Mariia Butina.
We should definitely ask him in House Judiciary impeachment proceedings.
The libertarian congressman’s decision comes in the wake of a series of tweets last month accusing President Donald Trump of having committed “impeachable offenses.”
“Here are my principal conclusions,” Amash, an outspoken GOP critic of the president, on Twitter last month. “1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report. 2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct. 3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances. 4. Few members of Congress have read the report.”
“Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,” Amash continued.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Justin Amish knows John Conyers, Jr.
Justin Amash read the Mueller Report that was in the basement of the Rayburn Building, for six weeks, where only a handful of Members took the opportunity to look at it.
Grand Rapids is in his Congressional District, where the DeVos Dynasty was created.
Justin Amash knows about Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare, Alpha Bank and Spectrum Health.
Justin Amash knows about the Kent County Land Bank.
Justin Amash knows about the Michigan GOP and its relations with the NRA.
Justin Amash knows about SIGTARP.
I am wondering if Justin Amash knows Mariia Butina.
We should definitely ask him in House Judiciary impeachment proceedings.
#FreeMariaButina
REPUBLICAN TRUMP CRITIC JUSTIN AMASH RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS
Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash resigned from the House Freedom Caucus Monday, citing his efforts to not be “a further distraction for the group.”
“I have the highest regard for [the caucus], and they’re my close friends,” Amash, who is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus and the lone Republican of the group to call for impeaching the president, told CNN. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”
The libertarian congressman’s decision comes in the wake of a series of tweets last month accusing President Donald Trump of having committed “impeachable offenses.”
“Here are my principal conclusions,” Amash, an outspoken GOP critic of the president, on Twitter last month. “1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report. 2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct. 3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances. 4. Few members of Congress have read the report.”
Here are my principal conclusions:— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019
1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.
2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.
3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.
4. Few members of Congress have read the report.
“Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,” Amash continued.
The Michigan lawmaker’s stand likely alienated him from many of his Republican colleagues. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul called the Mueller Report itself the “antithesis of libertarianism” when discussing Amash’s position. GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel accused him of “parroting the Democrats’ talking points on Russia.”
Amash told Freedom Caucus members about his decision at a board meeting Monday night, CNN reported.
“It was a positive meeting. It wasn’t negative,” he told CNN.
CNN reported that Amash “emphasized his decision was voluntary and that he remains on good terms with his colleagues.”
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Friday, May 31, 2019
First There Was Ollie North, Now Pete Brownell - Another NRA Bullseye
First there was Ollie North, then there was Mariia Butina, now there is Pete Brownell.
Who is next, or rather, what is next?
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Who is next, or rather, what is next?
BREAKING: Pete Brownell Has Resigned from the National Rifle Association Board of Directors
Brownells CEO Pete Brownell has been a member of the National Rifle Association’s board of directors for about a decade. He served as the organization’s president from 2017 to 2018. Now, however, TTAG has learned that Brownell has announced his resignation from the organization’s board.
Here’s his just-released statement:
In the coming weeks, my company will be making exciting announcements about new opportunities that are important to the future success of our business. We look forward to sharing that news soon as possible. Given the hard work and full-time attention that will be needed as our brands continue to grow, I’ve decided to step down from my position on the NRA’s Board of Directors. It’s been an honor to serve the five million members of the NRA and I will continue standing side-by-side with the millions of Americans who care deeply about defending the Second Amendment.
While Mr. Brownell’s announcement makes no mention of the controversies, accusations, and lawsuits that have been swirling around the NRA in the last few months, it’s difficult not to read between the lines here.
Pete Brownell is (was) a highly respected and influential member of the NRA board. His departure will be seen as a blow to efforts to reform the operation from the inside and weather the current storms.
You have to wonder if other board members will follow suit as a result of this.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Update On Paul Whelan, BorgWarner, Mariia Butina & Russia In Detroit
Update on Paul Whelan.
BorgWarner also has ties to SOS Children's Villages.
#FreeMariaButina
Paul Whelan’s employer BorgWarner has Russian ties
This St. Clair Shores home is a medieval castle in miniature, a one-of-a kind storybook house with a vivid history and quirky interior.Tanya Wildt
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| Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine |
Whelan, 49, of Novi was the director of global security for the Auburn Hills-based auto supplier when he traveled to Russia on Dec. 22 for the wedding of a friend. He was arrested six days later by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and charged with espionage.
He remains in a prison cell at Moscow's czarist-era Lefortovo Detention Facility, held without much more information about the accusations against him than he knew on the day when he was initially detained.
“He was caught red-handed,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference following Whelan's arrest in his hotel room at the upscale Metropol hotel in Moscow. In his possession was a flash drive containing what Russian authorities say was sensitive information.
It's a claim his family denies.
"Paul thought a friend of 10 years was giving him some photos of his hometown," on the flash drive, said his twin brother, David Whelan, in an email message. Whelan holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports. If he's convicted of spying, he could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
The State Department confirmed Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Russia next week and will meet with President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s foreign minister. The discussions will be dominated by other hot-button foreign policy issues, such as Venezuela and Syria, but Pompeo is expected to raise Whelan’s case, according to a senior State Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the secretary’s agenda.
Since his arrest, Russian authorities are limiting Whelan's contact with the outside world, but he has been able to communicate some details about the case to his family through his lawyers. Among those details: BorgWarner helped him get into Russia by sponsoring his visa, and he believes his arrest might be tied to politics involving U.S. sanctions.
BorgWarner's Russian business deals
BorgWarner has 30,000 employees around the world with 68 locations in 19 countries, but it doesn’t have facilities in Russia, said company spokeswoman Kathy Graham.
The company would not confirm that it sponsored Whelan's Russian business visa.
The company would not confirm that it sponsored Whelan's Russian business visa.
"As a general policy BorgWarner does not comment on travel of any of its employees, nor does the company discuss information about individual customers," said Graham in an email to the Free Press. "Paul was not in Russia on company business. We are deferring to the State Department regarding updates to his situation."
Although BorgWarner operates no facilities in Russia, the company does have a history of doing business there.
BorgWarner supplied Kamaz Inc., Russia's largest truck-maker, with turbochargers, fan drives and high-performance fans, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission documents. BorgWarner parts are used in nonmilitary Kamaz trucks and Nefaz buses, and its total sales to Kamaz from 2013-15 through non-U.S. subsidiaries was $12.1 million.
"For over 15 years, BorgWarner has supported (Kamaz) with advanced air-flow technologies, and we are looking forward to continuing the successful collaboration," Daniel Paterra, who was then BorgWarner's president and general manager of thermal systems, said in a 2015 news release about the Dakar Rally, an off-road rally in South America in which Kamaz trucks are used.
About a year after Paterra made that statement, the SEC submitted a letter to the president and CEO of BorgWarner, asking for details about the company's dealings with Kamaz, which was reported to have delivered trucks to Syria and Sudan.
"Sudan and Syria are designated by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism and are subject to U.S. economic sanctions and export controls," wrote Cecilia Blye, chief of the SEC's Office of Global Security risk in a letter to the company dated April 14, 2016.
"We are aware of publicly available information indicating that your subsidiaries have provided turbocompressors, fan drives and high performance fans to (Kamaz) Inc. and news reports indicating that Russia has delivered (Kamaz) military trucks to the Syrian Army."
The company responded in a letter later that month, writing: "There were no direct or known indirect sales or exports from BorgWarner Inc. ... or its subsidiaries ... to Sudan or Syria in 2013, 2014 or 2015.
"Non-U.S. subsidiaries of BorgWarner have had and in the future may continue to have de minimis light vehicle/non-military automotive business with customers in Sudan and Syria.
U.S. law does not prohibit non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. companies from engaging in transactions with Sudanian or Syrian customers that do not involve exports or re-exports subject to U.S. jurisdiction."
U.S. law does not prohibit non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. companies from engaging in transactions with Sudanian or Syrian customers that do not involve exports or re-exports subject to U.S. jurisdiction."
BorgWarner declined to provide the Free Press with a specific explanation of what it meant by "de minimis" in its response to the SEC, although generally the term is used in legal references to suggest something so small or minor, it is insignificant.
A deep look raises questions
"There are some very good and reasonable questions to be asked from BorgWarner," said Ryan Fayhee, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney and former U.S. Justice Department prosecutor who is working on behalf of the Whelan family. "There’s an open question right now around the role of a company when their employee, who did not go there for work, but they sponsored his visa, and they have meaningful operations in Russia. They don’t have an office there, but what they do have is … very, very meaningful relations with a company called Kamaz.
"Kamaz is a very interesting organization because it is actually headed by a businessman who was the co-chair of Vladimir Putin’s re-election campaign. … I wish this was a conspiracy theory. It is not."
The director general of Kamaz is Sergei A. Kogogin, who was, in fact, the co-chair of Putin’s 2018 re-election campaign.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, visits the Kamaz vehicle plant in Naberezhnye Chelny on Feb. 12, 2016. |
The director general of Rostec is Sergey Chemezov, who is among the most powerful people in the FSB, according to the Warsaw Institute, a Polish think tank focused on international relations, energy security, defense and other issues important to Poland and east-central Europe.
Rostec was sanctioned by former President Barack Obama's administration after Russia invaded Ukraine. And Chemezov was barred from entering the U.S.
"I’m not suggesting BorgWarner has done anything wrong," Fayhee said, "but I would suggest ... what role can the company have in the horrible, unfortunate situation where one of their employees has become a political pawn? And how do they act, what should they do, and how do they manage it?"
BorgWarner declined to answer questions about its efforts to help recover Whelan from Russian authorities. Fayhee said the company has been less than forthcoming with the Whelan family and in answering his questions, too.
"The big question in the beginning was and still is, ... what, if anything, with respect to the company may have contributed to Paul's arrest?" Fayhee said. "For example, did somebody visit Paul in Detroit, or email or corresponded with him at the company? ... You know, if there's a missing person, you interview his family, you interview his company and you take all these reasonable steps to determine what was done ... things like doing some sort of internal review or gathering materials, forensically or otherwise to help support the government in its effort to examine what would have led up to Paul's arrest and disappearance."
Yet, Fayhee said when he asked BorgWarner whether any such internal review had been done, an attorney for the company told him it is more concerned with its reputation in the news media than conducting an investigation.
The response surprised him.
"What is clear is that Paul, and the family really deserve more out of BorgWarner," Fayhee said. "They deserve a dialogue. ... The family very much wants to engage in even a private dialogue with the company in order to make sure they are doing everything they can do to secure Paul's recovery.
"That's really at the core of it. The statements made by their lawyer, the fact that they're not speaking directly with the family is really troubling to say the least."
Through its spokeswoman, BorgWarner issued this statement in response to Fayhee's criticisms: “BorgWarner worked closely with the family before they engaged their own attorney, and it has coordinated with the State Department and other government agencies since Paul's arrest, and will continue to coordinate where appropriate, to help bring Paul home safely.”
David Whelan said there's no indication that his brother's work for BorgWarner has anything to do with his arrest in Russia.
"We are not aware of BorgWarner's business connections to Russia beyond what's in the public record," David Whelan said. "We don't have any reason to believe Paul's situation has anything to do with BorgWarner, other than that it is an American-based company.
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| Twin brothers David and Paul Whelan |
Whelan's isolation in Russian prison
In recent weeks, bundles of handwritten letters from Russia have arrived at the Manchester, Michigan, home of Whelan's parents, Rosemary and Edward Whelan. The letters from their son have been censored by Russian authorities, but still are a welcome sight, his brother said.
"My mum and dad received about 75 letters, in three groups ... over the past 10 days or so," David Whelan said. "They're handwritten notes from Jan. 18 onward. ... They describe his day-to-day in jail. As they went through the routine prison censoring, before being held by the FSB investigator for months, they are purely day-in-the-life.
"We haven't really learned anything that helps us with seeking his release, but they are comforting for my parents. You can hear his 'voice' in them, and a letter can be read and re-read while they wait for his return."
Since his arrest, Russian authorities have limited Whelan's access to his lawyers and consular services. He has not received mail or phone calls or the English-language books, including an English-Russian dictionary.
Even Jon Huntsman Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Russia, has been restricted in what he's allowed to discuss with Whelan.
During an April 30 meeting with Whelan at the prison, Huntsman was not allowed to read letters from his family, to ask him to sign a power of attorney, and was banned from 'talking about anything that actually matters,' said Andrea Kalan, a State Department spokeswoman, on Twitter.
"Why haven’t Russian officials provided proof? Perhaps it’s lost along with Paul’s mail. Complete lack of evidence + Paul's isolation = greater likelihood officials will try to get a forced false 'confession.' Stop playing games."
David Whelan said his family is concerned that his brother has been interrogated without the presence of his lawyers or his translator, and noted that his attorneys in Moscow, Vladimir Zherebenkov and Olga Karlova, were appointed by the FSB.
In addition, his brother's signed Privacy Act Waiver was held up for months by Russian investigators who alleged the document was lost in the mail. And now, a similar delay is keeping the family from getting access to a signed power of attorney, which would grant them the ability to manage his affairs at home and help him choose his own attorney in Russia.
"There’s a real concern that … at some point given the isolation, the limited access, a lawyer that doesn’t even speak English, that at some point that affects your psychiatric health," Fayhee said. "Maybe that’s done to try to extract some kind of confession out of him or to get him to say something on the record so the Russians can then use that as the basis of his continued detention. It’s difficult or impossible to know. But we shouldn’t understate the potential effects of being isolated the way he’s being isolated."
"We hope they find this as an opportunity to acknowledge that the allegations ... have not been substantiated and that they'll release him. That would be the appropriate thing to do under the circumstances.
"But the family is prepared also for the possibility that the detention will be extended for another three months in order to further isolate him, in order to extract whatever benefit it is that they're seeking to achieve whatever goal Paul is being used to achieve."
In April, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Americans going to Russia, suggesting increased caution because of terrorist threats, and a risk of being harassed, mistreated, arbitrarily interrogated, detained or targeted for extortion.
"There is no doubt in our minds that Paul's arrest and imprisonment amount to a kidnapping by the Russian police," David Whelan said. "We hope the new designation will help other Americans avoid the same fate."
State Department spokeswoman Julia Mason said the department is continuing to closely follow the Whelan case.
"We urge the Russian government to guarantee a fair and transparent judicial process without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations," she said. "We have visited Mr. Whelan seven times since he was first detained. We will continue to press for fair and humane treatment, due process, and access to appropriate medical care.”
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Friday, April 26, 2019
All Hail The Whistleblowers: Mariia Butina Gets 18 Months In A SCIF
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| Kalashnikov is not just for guns in Detroit |
She knows lots of stuff.
Did you know prisons are great Secured Compartmented Information Facilities?
#freemariabutina
RUSSIAN NATIONAL MARIA BUTINA SENTENCED TO 9 MORE MONTHS IN PRISON
Russian national Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison Friday after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge Dec. 13.
The Justice Department recommended an 18-month prison sentence for Butina April 19. Prosecutors claim she helped the Russian government by reporting back to Moscow on political figures in the U.S.
Butina has been in jail since her arrest in July. Her attorneys asked that she receive time served ahead of the sentencing, reported ABC News. She will likely be deported to Russia when she is released from prison.
(RELATED: A Christian Businesswoman Says She Has Been Wrongly Imprisoned In Kuwait Since 2018)
(RELATED: A Christian Businesswoman Says She Has Been Wrongly Imprisoned In Kuwait Since 2018)
“Butina’s work involved building a rolodex of and information about powerful people who had, or were likely to get, access to and influence over the next presidential administration,” prosecutors said in a filing earlier in April. “Butina’s reports back to the Russian Official on the people she was meeting have all the hallmarks of spotting-and-assessing reports.”
There has been speculation Russia is detaining a U.S. citizen as leverage because of Butina’s case. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has denied that Paul Whelan is being held for a possible prisoner swap, reported The Associated Press.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Trump Speaks Upon Faith Based Foster Care, Adoption & Modern Day Slavery - Will Media Do The Same?
Trump speaks on Faith Based Adoption.
Trump briefly mentions a legal situation of a Faith Based adoption agency in Michigan.
Trump speaks upon human trafficking around the world.
Trump states that we are going to stop "Modern Day Slavery".
Trump talked about the sanctity of birth over abortion.
Will media talk about this?
Will "The Elected Ones" talk about trafficking tiny humans?
Will DOJ & FBI finally stand up and end modern day slavery?
I believe so.
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| #FreeMarieButina |
It shouldn’t. As Jeff Sharlet, an associate professor of English at Dartmouth, has pointed out, the National Prayer Breakfast has long offered “a backdoor to American power.” And America’s homegrown Christian nationalists have evinced an admiration for Russia’s authoritarian leader that appears to have grown apace with his brutality.
On Tuesday, Maria Butina, a 29-year-old Russian whose name was spelled Mariia in court papers, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Russian Federation. According to the complaint unsealed on Monday, Ms. Butina’s promotional activities for Russian political interests included attending the National Prayer Breakfast twice.
The National Prayer Breakfast was initiated in 1953 by a Methodist minister, Abraham Vereide, who had been leading Congressional prayer groups for a decade. The annual breakfast now attracts close to 4,000 participants and is hosted by members of Congress. But the real force behind the event remains Mr. Vereide’s Fellowship Foundation, also known as “The Family,” whose fundamental mission is to create a ruling consortium of Christ-centered political and community leaders.
“The Family considers #nationalprayerbreakfast a recruiting device,” Mr. Sharlet, who has published two books about the group, tweeted on Monday.
Lobbyists and foreign governments look forward to the event as a way to meet powerful people without, as Mr. Sharlet has reported, having to go through the State Department and normal vetting processes.
“It’s not just the breakfast — The Family organizes a week of de facto lobbying events,” Mr. Sharlet explained on Twitter. “#MariaButina used them to maximize impact.”
On Oct. 5, 2016, with one National Prayer Breakfast under her belt, Ms. Butina direct messaged a Russian official on Twitter: “We made our bet. I am following our game. I will be connecting the people from the prayer breakfast to this group.”
After the election, Ms. Butina informed someone the complaint called “U.S. person number one” that she would be bringing along some “VERY influential” Russians to the breakfast. After the event — which President Trump attended, just as previous presidents have — Ms. Butina emailed one of its organizers to thank him for “the gift” of his “precious time during the National Prayer Breakfast week — and for the very private meeting that followed. A new relationship between two countries always begins better when it begins in faith.”
It also should not be surprising that at least some in the breakfast crowd were positively disposed to the Russian visitors. The bond between America’s Christian nationalists and the Russian government goes back a long way, long before anyone conceived of the possibility of a Trump administration.
Paul Weyrich belongs on any shortlist of the individuals who created the religious right as we know it today. He was a central figure in the founding of numerous conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, ALEC, the Moral Majority and the Council for National Policy. In the 1970s, Mr. Weyrich was one of the strategists who first conceived of outreach to evangelical churches in order to recruit activists to socially conservative causes. He was also among the first to grasp the potential for an alliance with religious conservatives in Russia and Eastern Europe.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Weyrich made dozens of trips to Russia, eventually becoming a strong supporter of closer relations. By the time of his death in 2008, Mr. Weyrich was writing and speaking frequently in defense of Russia and facilitating visits between American conservatives and Russian political leaders.
Another religious conservative who pursued the Russian connection was Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. In 2013, Mr. Brown testified before the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, in support of legislation opposing adoption by gay couples. “What I realized was that there was a great change happening in the former Soviet Union,” Mr. Brown told The Washington Post. “There was a real push to re-instill Christian values in the public square.”
Joining the National Organization for Marriage in the budding alliance were a number of other religious right groups, including the activist groups International Organization of the Family, also directed by Mr. Brown, and Family Watch International, an Arizona-based group that promotes an anti-LGBT and anti-abortion agenda around the world. In 2016, the World Congress of Families, a group that formed in Russia in 1997, held an event in Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Participants cast President Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Orthodox Church as defenders of “Christian civilization” against a secular, decadent West.
In the run-up to the 2016 election, the passion for Russian values among America’s religious extremists grew still more ardent. In 2013, Bryan Fischer, then a spokesman for the American Family Association, called Mr. Putin a “lion of Christianity.” In 2014, Franklin Graham — the politically influential evangelist and vocal Trump supporter — defended Mr. Putin for his efforts “to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda,” even as he lamented that Americans have “abdicated our moral leadership.” In December 2015, Mr. Graham met privately with Mr. Putin for 45 minutes.
Although the religious right’s affection for Mr. Putin appears to center on a shared disgust with “the homosexual agenda” and other so-called family issues, it is impossible to overlook the attraction that the Russian leader’s authoritarian style has for his American admirers. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mike Pence hailed Mr. Putin as “a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.”The attraction appears to be mutual — even if it is almost certainly not symmetrical. More than 50 Russians attended the most recent National Prayer Breakfast in February.
At the same time that it has been infiltrating the political system of the United States, the Russian government has sought to cultivate and influence far-right groups in Europe. It turns out that anti-L.G.B.T. politics are an effective tool in mobilizing religious nationalists everywhere, which is in turn an excellent way to destabilize the Western alliance and advance Russia’s geopolitical interests.
Anti-L.G.B.T. politics are in this respect no different from the “gun rights” advocacy that Ms. Butina is accused of using to build a bridge between Russian and American leaders via the National Rifle Association. No serious observer believes that Mr. Putin cares a fig about our Second Amendment (or the rest of the Constitution). For him, America’s fabled gun culture is just a weakness to be exploited for the sake of Russia’s national interest.
Which really ought to give pause to those who imagine that Russia is sincere in its supposed desire to unite with America’s religious conservatives over a putatively shared variety of Christian values.
Why would anyone assume that Mr. Putin means what he says about spiritual matters?
The religious right thinks that it’s using Mr. Putin to advance its aims. But a far more plausible interpretation is that he is using the religious right — to infiltrate, divide and weaken our country.
http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=mariia+butina#axzz5egWbwTZU
http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=mariia+butina#axzz5egWbwTZU
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