Sater contacted Cohen on behalf of I.C. Expert Investment Company (LC. Expert), a Russian real-estate development corporation controlled by Andrei Vladimirovich Rozov. 307 Sater had known Rozov since approximately 2007 and, in 2014, had served as an agent on behalf of Rozov during Rozov's purchase of a building in New York City.308 Sater later contacted Rozov and proposed that I.C. Expert pursue a Trump Tower Moscow project in which l.C. Expert would license the name and brand from the Trump Organization but construct the building on its own. Sater worked on the deal with Rozov and another.employee of l.C. Expert. 309
Cohen was the only Trump Organization representative to negotiate directly with l.C. Expert or its agents (Felix Sater). In approximately September 2015, Cohen obtained approval to negotiate with I.C. Expert from candidate Trump, who was then president of the Trump Organization.
Realizing Trump was occupying his time with a run for the presidency proves that Cohen was left alone to negotiate with the Russians. The basics were already covered by the family and their trips to the site of the Moscow Trump Tower.
Cohen provided updates directly to Trump about the project throughout 2015 and into 2016, assuring him the project was continuing. 310 Cohen also discussed the Trump Moscow project with Ivanka Trump as to design elements (such as possible architects to use for the project 311) and Donald J. Trump Jr. (about his experience in Moscow and possible involvement in the project 312 ) during the fall of 2015.
The Footnotes are evidence to the text.
Footnote 307 Sater 9/19/17 302, at 3.
Footnote 308 Rozov 1 /25/18 3 02, at 1.
Footnote 309 Rozov 1/25/18 302, at I; see also 11 /2/15 Email, Cohen to Rozov et al. (sending letter of intent).
Footnote 310 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 1-2, 4-6.
Footnote 311 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 5.
Footnote 312 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 4-5.
Also during the fall of 2015, Cohen communicated about the Trump Moscow proposal with Giorgi RtskhiladzeG, a business executive who previously had been involved in a development deal with the Trump Organization in Batumi, Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili, then President of Georgia is left in the background, Trump is shaking hands with Giorgi Rtskhiladze from the Silk Road Group in the foreground. To completely understand why Trump would cancel the TWO towers with Georgia, is that Moscow would have insisted. Moscow was not going to embark on a project with the Trump Company if they were also doing business with a former Soviet State.
9 January 2017
The Trump Tower project (click here) in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town of Batumi has been officially cancelled.
The Trump Organisation and Silk Road Group (click here), Trump's partner and developer in the project, announced the news in a joint statement released on January 6.
"The Trump Organization and Silk Road Group (SRG) jointly announce their decision to formally end the development of Trump Tower, Batumi, a residential condominium in the Republic of Georgia under the license agreement executed in March 2011”, the statement read.
"As such, the Trump Organization continues to hold SRG and the Republic of Georgia in the highest regard. SRG, in turn, is grateful to the Trump Organization for the time and attention they have dedicated to this project and fully understands the circumstances and accepts this request”
Looking forward, SRG said it plans to build a luxury condominium tower along the Georgian Black Sea coast in Batumi.
"[We are] confident that this spectacular project envisioned by Mr. Trump during his visit to the Republic of Georgia in 2012 will strengthen Georgia’s bid to become a global destination”, SRG said.
International media wrote back in December that Trump was planning to cancel the Trump Tower project in Georgia due to a conflict of interest given the beginning of his presidency on Friday, January 20.
The Associated Press (AP) reported the Trump Organisation had cancelled a licensing deal for a hotel in Azerbaijan for similar reasons.
Trump canceled the Georgia project, but, not the Moscow project in consideration of his run for the presidency. So, he was not a novice in understanding what a conflict of interest would entail. The Moscow project was still maintained all during his campaign and afterward. I don't think that was disclosed, was it?
313 Cohen stated that he spoke to Rtskhiladze in part because Rtskhiladze had pursued business ventures in Moscow, including a licensing deal with the Agalarov-owned Crocus Group.314 On September 22, 2015, Cohen forwarded a preliminary design study for the Trump Moscow project to Rtskhiladze, adding "I look forward to your reply about this spectacular project in Moscow." Rtskhiladze forwarded Cohen's email to an associate and wrote, "[i]f we could organize the meeting in New York at the highest level of the Russian Government and Mr. Trump this project would definitely receive the worldwide attention."315
On September 24, 2015, Rtskhiladze sent Cohen an attachment that he described as a proposed "[!Jetter to the Mayor of Moscow from Trump org," explaining that "[ w ]e need to send this letter to the Mayor of Moscow (second guy in Russia)...
Sergey Semyonovich Sobyanin (Russian: Серге́й Семёнович Собя́нин; born 21 June 1958) is a Russian politician. He has served as Mayor of Moscow from October 2010 to 5 July 2013 and was re-elected Mayor in the September 2013 city election.
I believed he only served until 2016 which is the three year term, There is another mayor that is also chairman of the State Duma; Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin who would have been elected in 2016 and facing the end of his third year.
...he is aware of the potential project and will pledge his support." 316 In a second email to Cohen sent the same day, Rtskhiladze provided a translation of the letter, which described the Trump Moscow project as a "symbol of stronger economic, business and cultural relationships between New York and Moscow...
I think most New Yorkers would take exception with that description.
...and therefore United States and the Russian Federation."317 On September 27, 2015, Rtskhiladze sent another email to Cohen, proposing that the Trump Organization partner on the Trump Moscow project with "Global Development Group LLC," (click here)...
810 7TH St NE
Washington, DC, 20002-3610 United States
Company Type: Independent
(703) 397-3248
D&B Hoovers provides sales leads and sales intelligence data on over 120 million companies like Global Development Group LLC and Finance & Insurance Sector contacts in Washington, DC, United States and around the world. Our data undergoes extensive quality assurance testing with over 2,000 discrete checks for validity and reliability. We use over 30,0000 different sources, including teams of primary source researchers to update our data over 5 million times per day. So when you get Global Development Group LLC insights, financials and competitors from D&B Hoovers, you can trust in their accuracy. To witness the full depth and breadth of our data and for industry leading sales intelligence tools, take D&B Hoovers for a test drive. Try D&B Hoovers Free
The electronic address to Global Development Group, LLC begins with hoovers.com/company. That was a clue this was not a completely American company in a way one would expect an LLC to be.
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.global_development_group_llc.31cd78e7bd27c338.html?aka_re=1
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.global_development_group_llc.31cd78e7bd27c338.html?aka_re=1
Moscow office:
15/7 Gagarinsky Pereulok,
Moscow, Russia
Moscow, Russia
Tel.: +7 (495) 601-94-94
info@solartiagroup.ru
info@solartiagroup.ru
Nizharadze Simon
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Novoselova Maria
General Director
General Director
Streltsov Dmitry
Executive Director
Executive Director
Cohen told the Office that he ultimately declined the proposal and instead continued to work with LC. Expert, the company represented by Felix Sater.319
c. Letter of Intent and Contacts to Russian Government (October 2015-January 2016) i. Trump Signs the Letter of Intent on behalf of the Trump Organization Between approximately October 13, 2015 and November 2, 2015, the Trump Organization (through its subsidiary Trump Acquisition, LLC)...
From Propublica:
Trump Acquisition LLC (dormant inactive)
New York, NY
Appointees formerly compensated or employed by this organization went to work at these agencies
- White House Office
Held position at this organization
- Ivanka Trump
Executive Vice President → went to White House Office
Why would I not expect Trump to have his own pass-thru company?
...and I.C. Expert completed a letter of intent (LOI)
for a Trump Moscow property. The LOI, signed by Trump for the Trump Organization and Rozov
on behalf of I.C. Expert, was "intended to facilitate further discussions" in order to "attempt to enter into a mutually acceptable agreement" related to the Trump-branded project in Moscow. 320
The LOI contemplated a development with residential, hotel, commercial, and office components,
and called for
"[a]pproximately 250 first class, luxury residential condominiums," as well as
"[o]ne
first class, luxury hotel consisting of approximately 15 floors and containing not fewer than 150
hotel rooms."321 For the residential and commercial portions of the project, the Trump
Organization would receive between 1% and 5% of all condominium sales,322 plus 3% of all rental
and other revenue. 323 For the project's hotel portion, the Trump Organization would receive a base
fee of 3% of gross operating revenues for the first five years and 4% thereafter, plus a separate
incentive fee of 20% of operating profit. 324 Under the LOI, the Trump Organization also would
receive a $4 million "up-front fee" prior to groundbreaking.325 Under these terms, the Trump
Organization stood to earn substantial sums over the lifetime of the project, without assuming
significant liabilities or financing commitments.326
Time for a break.
I intentionally left some space between footnotes to allow for easier reading.
Footnote 314 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 12;see also Rtskhiladze 5/10/18 302, at 1.
Footnote 315 9/22/1 5 Email, Rtskhiladze to Nizharadze.
Footnote 316 9/24/15 Email, Rtskhiladze to Cohen.
Footnote 317 9/24/1 5 Email, Rtskhiladze to Cohen.
Footnote 318 9/27/15 Email, Rtskhiladze to Cohen.
Footnote 319 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 12.
Footnote 320 11/2/15 Email, Cohen to Rozov et al. (attachment) (hereinafter "LOI"); see also I 0/13/15 Email, Sater to Cohen & Davis (attaching proposed letter of intent).
Footnote 321 LOI, p. 2.
Footnote 322 The LOI called for the Trump Organization to receive 5% of all gross sales up to $100 million; 4% of all gross sales from $100 million to $250 million; 3% of all gross sales from $250 million to $500 million; 2% of all gross sales from $500 million to $1 billion; and 1% of all gross sales over $1 billion. LOI, Schedule 2.
Footnote 323 LOI, Schedule 2.
Footnote 324 LOI, Schedule 1.
Footnote 325 LOI, Schedule 2.
Footnote 326 Cohen 9/12/18 302, at 3
continued in next entry - thank you
