BX. CLUB GETS BOOT (funneled $875K to Air America by card-carrying Commie)

>>>Similarly they have sometimes used non-Mafia groups as supply sources or distribution fronts.

Small businesses were often used as fronts. Maybe still are.

Yes--restaurants are one example of that, but really just about any small business can be used by a creative smuggler (Carlos Marcello was an honest fruit salesman. . .). Also union groups involved in the transportation industry--Teamsters, Longshoremen have been used that way. And biker gangs were another major means of interstate/trans-border distribution from the 60s through the 90s (the last time I checked into it).

Oh yes, the ports. I should cross post that article to here. Good reminder!

>>> International Longshoremen’s Association

Smuggling

A Senate Committee of Canada continued its hearings into National Security and Defence during the first quarter of this year. Addressing the committee in January was

Chief Superintendent Ian Atkins, the RCMP’s head of criminal operations in Nova Scotia, who reported that the RCMP ran checks on 500 members of the International Longshoremen's Association working on the Halifax ports and found 187 – or 37 per cent – had criminal records, including convictions for drugs, assault and impaired driving.

The RCMP polices only a small portion of the Halifax port facilities, but it initiated the background checks here in 2000 after discovering problems in Montreal, where the numbers are similar.

Atkins said there is no link between the union and organized crime, but admitted he is worried those with criminal backgrounds could be “enticed” to participate in waterfront crime.

However, the head of the International Longshoremen's Association, representing port checkers, gearmen, stevedores and watchmen, has accused the RCMP of sensationalizing. Gerald Murphy, president of Local 269 of the union, said he wonders if that might show many convictions happened long ago and involved offences like impaired driving, assault and domestic disputes that have nothing to do with the port.

Atkins said security at the port needs to be as rigid as security at Halifax International Airport. Since Sept. 11, what goes through the port has come under scrutiny as police and others, like the committee, come to grips with potential terrorist threats.

Canada's marine ports have been a major conduit for drug smuggling, the illegal export and import of stolen automobiles, and the theft of containers and their cargo. U.S. and Canadian officials also fear Halifax and other ports could end up as staging grounds for nuclear or biological attacks. .

A multi-agency investigation of port crime now underway suggests the criminal networks may be linked to ports in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The Hells Angels, in particular have been identified as pervasive at Vancouver's ports.

The hearings in Halifax were one of the last of the Senate committee, which issued its Report on National Security and Defence in late February. Among its wide-ranging recommendations was that a full-blown public inquiry into the security of the country's seaports be conducted.

Organized crime has its claws in the ports, the committee warned, threatening the Canadian economy and North American security. Senator Colin Kenny, chairman of the Senate committee said criminal groups in and around ports could become tools of terrorists.

The Senate report warned that organized crime groups are “generally active” in Canada's port system and can make entire shipping containers disappear. An “extraordinarily high percentage of port employees have criminal records,” the report said, adding that criminals gravitate to ports because of opportunities to pilfer goods.

The accusations of a possible organized crime presence on Canada’s seaports were met with derision from port corporation officials. Crime is not rampant in the Port of Montreal, according to its head, Dominic Taddeo. He said while there is criminal activity at the port, it is not as bad as Senator Colin Kenny says.

Kevin Waite, president of the International Longshoremen's Association, said he was astounded by the senate report. His union represents 125 checkers who figure out whether containers leave by train or truck when a ship is unloaded. Waite said the report contains many errors, and appears to be just an attack on port workers.

Sources: “RCMP say more than one-third of Halifax port employees have criminal records.” Canadian Press Newswire. January 23 2002; Peter McLaughlin. “Port urged to run tighter ship: Mounties fear breaches of security at port after checks show 37 per cent of Halifax longshoremen have criminal records.” The Halifax Daily News. January 24 2002; John Ward. “A Senate committee says the military should get more money and people and recommends a full-blown public inquiry into the security of the country's seaports.” Canadian Press Newswire. March 1 2002; George Kalogerakis. “Port crime contained, boss says: Senate reports on security lapses are greatly exaggerated: CEO.” Montreal Gazette. March 7 2002.

16 posted on 12/02/2005 9:37:20 AM EST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)

Thanks! I hadn't seen that one and was thinking of less recent stuff, but that illustrates the continuity of the M.O.

The International Longshoremen and the Port of New Orleans is really sticking in my mind. I have a number of threads that more than likely can get intertwined...but I would only be implying at this point.

I just love a good ending.

You're on the right track there. The port of New Orleans has traditionally been a key distribution point.

When I did this thread on rebuilding the New Orleans Port, this tidbit now means a whole lot more in light of the Longshoreman.

>>>>The Port of New Orleans has also been a defined area where foreign merchandise gets brought into the country without being immediately subject to the usual U.S. Customs regulations!!!<

I see what you mean.

They all knew exactly what they were doing and who they were involved with.

It irks me that "motivation" is showcased in selected criminal actions, but these kinds of crimes (gov't crimes, spy scandals, and the like) are rarely dissected for motive.

Heheh.......it is nice to see a lefty nailed.

"We're talking about bringing down an entire network. It's analogous to bringing down a drug kingpin."

Not until they bring down the Clinton crime ring will it be the biggest in history.

I wonder if err America will report this turn of events, just ignore it, or blame it on Bush. Hmmm?

Obvious isn't it? The evil Bushies are taking handouts away from the senior citizens of NY in the process of trying to take out a radio network that opposes him and his administration.

Co-op City didn't happen until they destroyed the amusement park that owned the land it was built on.

Freedomland!

WOW!! Memory central!!!! Thank you. :-)

snip

Commodities trader Semyon (Sam) Kislin and his family also lavished thousands of dollars in contributions to Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer, to the Clinton-Gore re-election campaign, to former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and to a number of state and city politicians. Kislin sits on the New York City Economic Development Board.

Kislin is not alone among emigres from the former Soviet Union who have successfully established themselves in the United States while law enforcement agencies, particularly the FBI, track their alleged associations with organized crime. The Center for Public Integrity has obtained confidential law enforcement documents detailing the activities of dozens of the emigres, but authorities rarely make cases and still less share the intelligence outside their departments.

A 1996 Interpol report claims that Kislin's firm, Trans Commodities, Inc., was used by two reputed mobsters from Uzbekistan, Lev and Mikhail Chernoy, for fraud and embezzlement. And a confidential 1994 FBI intelligence report on the Brooklyn, N.Y., mob organization headed by Vyacheslav Ivankov, the imprisoned godfather of Russian organized crime in the United States, lists Kislin as a "member/associate" of Ivankov's gang. It claims that his company co-sponsored a Russian crime boss and contract killer for a U.S. visa and asserts that he was a "close associate" of the late notorious arms smuggler Babeck Seroush, who later settled in Russia.

In a telephone interview on Dec. 17, Kislin confirmed he had employed Mikhail Chernoy at Trans Commodities, but said he didn't know Ivankov. "I never met this guy; I never saw him in my life," he said. He said that someone had forged his signature to obtain the hit man's visa. And, he confirmed, "I used to do business with Babeck Seroush."

snip

Giuliani Fund-Raiser

In 1996, Kislin hosted a fund-raiser for Giuliani, a former hard-charging federal prosecutor, at the Lido Restaurant in Brooklyn. And last May 25, Kislin also was a co-chair for a Giuliani fund-raiser at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. The bash raised $2.1 million for his probable run for the Senate next year.

"I did a lot of fund raising for Giuliani," Kislin acknowledged. "He's a good man, doing a good job for the city of New York."

snip

According to New York corporate records, Arik Kislin is chairman of Blonde Management Corp., 459 W. 15th St. in Manhattan. In the early 1990s, Blonde shared space with Trans Commodities and co-sponsored the person alleged by law enforcement agencies to be a hit man, Anton Malevskiy, for the U.S. visa, according to the 1994 FBI report. Malevskiy, an acknowledged friend of the Chernoys, also is reputed to be the head of one of Russia's top mob families, Moscow's Izmaylovo gang.

snip

Because nothing critical of Kislin has appeared in the U.S. press, New Yorkers, especially politicians and the Russian-Jewish émigré community in Brooklyn, view him as a prosperous commodities trader who is a generous supporter of the United Jewish Appeal and of the state of Israel. He has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the UJA, according to published accounts, and donated $1.5 million to build a college library in Sha'ar Hanegev in Israel.

snip

http://tinyurl.com/7cstn

A $3.5 Million Loft For a High-Flying Athlete

Richard Jefferson, the star forward for the New Jersey Nets, completed a six-year contract extension, worth $78 million, in early August. When he returned later in the summer from playing for the American men's basketball team in the Athens Olympics, he went house shopping.

In October, the 24-year-old signed a contract to pay $3.5 million in cash for a 3,584-square-foot loft at 169 Hudson Street in TriBeCa. Mr. Jefferson took possession of the apartment in November. "He's always been excited about living in the city," said Mr. Jefferson's agent, Todd Eley.

snip

Mr. Herzberg, a sales agent with the Corcoran Group, and Mr. Kislin, the son of Semyon Kislin, a prominent Russian-émigré businessman, bought the apartment from the development company that was converting the building into condos. The development team included Samuel D. Waksal, the former chief executive of ImClone Systems, who is now serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison for securities fraud and other crimes.

Mr. Herzberg and Mr. Kislin hired Suk Design Group to create an apartment with four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a fireplace and hardwood floors. The ceilings, which have exposed beams, are 10 feet high, a plus for Mr. Jefferson, who is 6-foot-7.

Other condo owners in the building include the rap music impresario Sean Combs and Christopher D. Heinz, a son of Theresa Heinz, the wife of Senator John Kerry.

http://tinyurl.com/cxjw4

6/30/03 N Y POST -- Big political donor

EXCLUSIVE A wealthy Russian-American businessman who has been linked to organized crime in FBI and Interpol reports was recently honored by the City Council, The Post has learned.

Semyon "Sam" Kislin, a 68-year-old commodities trader who once gave large donations to ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), is a suspected member of a Brooklyn-based Russian crime syndicate. He allegedly used his company, Trans Commodities, now of Westchester, to launder millions of dollars, according to the FBI and Interpol.

Kislin did not return phone calls. In the past, Kislin has denied all wrongdoing and, in one press conference, even denied the existence of Russian organized crime. "There is no such thing as a Russian mafia," Kislin said in a 1999 press conference. At the time, Kislin acknowledged talking to the FBI.

Despite internal FBI reports alleging money laundering and mob ties, the bureau never pursued charges. According to the recent City Council invitation, the lawmakers honored Kislin and other immigrants from the former Soviet Union at a City Hall event on May 8.

Chris Policano, the City Council spokesman, said he did not know why Kislin was honored. The May 8 event was the second annual event "to honor the common heritage of new Americans from the former Soviet Union," Policano said. Kislin's name has been linked to the Russian mob for about a decade.

A 1994 FBI intelligence report called him a "member or associate" of a Brighton Beach crime operation headed by Vyacheslav "Little Japanese" Ivankov, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1997 for extortion and a fraudulent marriage to prevent his deportation.

The FBI report claims Kislin's company co-sponsored a Russian crime boss and contract killer for a U.S. visa, and called Kislin a "close associate" of the late arms smuggler Babeck Seroush.

By 1999, Kislin's name was in the news when his political contributions to Giuliani, Schumer, Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and President Bill Clinton came to light. Giuliani then appointed Kislin to the city's Economic Development Corp., which helps protect the city's job base. But Mayor Bloomberg did not reappoint him, a spokesman said, declining to say why.

20 posted on 07/31/2003 9:06:19 AM PDT by Liz

http://tinyurl.com/7mert

The Jews and The Bicycle Riders

snip

Between these two groups there was another layer of -facilitators-; people who knew the parallel system. They set up the deals.They traded the hard earned cash from aluminium into cigarettes and vodka which could be brought back into Russia and sold for cash, providing liquidity to the system. These facilitators were among the first private businessmen in Russia. They had ties to the very independent private sector who had access to the raw materials and the internal organizations which could deliver on the agreements made; the Izmailova (the late Anton Malevksy), Soltsnevo, Long Pond groups to name but a few. The facilitators included the Chernoy brothers (Mischa and Lev), Sam Kislin, and the -institutionals- Gregory Luchansky, Semyon Mogilevich (Lyubarsky and Long Pond) or Vadim Rabinovich in the Ukraine. Most of these, too, were Jews. Without these men the Russification of Russia couldn-t have taken place. They provided the only working system in Russia. Even in the far reaches of Siberia or the outposts of the Far East one could always find someone who could provide what was needed

http://tinyurl.com/8443g