Alleged Trump–Epstein Palm Beach real‑estate deal tied to Russian oligarch and potential money‑laundering

From: J [jeevacation@gmail.com] Sent: 2/1/2019 4:46:54 PM To: Michael Wolff Subject: Fwd: FYI first edit ----------Forwarded message---------From: Michael Wolff Date: Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 11:07 AM Subject: FYI To: Jeffrey Epstein <jeevacation@gmail.com> Books and newspaper accounts of Trump's 45 years in business were full of his shady dealings, and the presidency had only helped to highlight them and to surface even juicier ones. Real estate was the world's favorite money laundering currency and Trump's perceived A -level real estate business was quite explicitly designed to appeal to money launderers. What's more, Trump's own financial woes, and desperate efforts to maintain billionaire lifestyle, cache, and market viability, forced him into constant and unsubtle schemes. Practically speaking, you couldn't miss him, as the Mueller investigation appeared to be finding. In November 2004, for instance, Jeffrey Epstein, the financier later caught in a scandal involving under-age prostitutes, agreed to buy out of bankruptcy a house in Palm Beach, Florida for $36 million—a house that had been on the market for two years. Epstein and Trump had been close friends—playboys in arms, as it were—for more than a decade, with Trump always hopeful that Epstein would provide some of his financial expertise to enabvle h8im to survive. Trump was beholden to Deutsch Bank and was on the hook personally for 40 million dollars. Epstein took Trump to see the Palm Beach house to advise him on construction issues involved with moving the swimming pool. As he prepared to finalize his deal for the house, an incredulous Epstein saw a severely cash-constrained Trump bid $41 million for the property, buying it through an entity named Trump Properties LLC, ultimate owner unknown.. Trump, Epstein knew, had been in the buisness of leasing his name. Hotels are actually owned by others but renting the trump name would cost a percent or two. , Trump was willing to serve as a front man to disguise the actual ownership in a real estate transaction. (This was, in effect, just another variation of Trump's basic business model of licensing his name for commercial properties owned by someone else.) A furious Epstein suspected that others actually owned the new house. then getting extensive scrutiny in Florida papers. The disagreement re the purchase of the house became all the more bitter when, two months later, the house was put on the market for $125 million. Well known to Trump, who often visited with Epstein at his Palm Beach house, whose visits were confirmed in depostions of Epsteins houseman. It appears that Epstein was visited almost every day, by and had been for many years, by girls who he paid for massages with happy endings—girls recruited, and who often returned to his house from the local massage HOUSE OVERSIGHT 030974parlors strip clubs, and, also, Trump's Mar-a-Lago. Just as the threats and enmity of the two friends increased over the house sale, Epstein found himself under investigation by local Palm Beach police. Epstein's legal problems vastly escalated but the new Trump property, with only minor improvements, was bought 3 years later in 08 , the time Trump was facing his huge debt. for $96 million by Dmitry Rybolovlev. a Russain oligarch. That is, Trump had either miraculously earned $55 million, without putting up a dime, or Rybolovlev, or someone such as Rybolovlev, paid Trump Properties, LLC—actual owner unknown—$96 million, thereby providing a clean payment of $55 million to someone. This at the very same time that trump was into Deutsch bank for over 600 million dollars but with a 40 millino personal guarnatee .Rybolovlev might have, in effect, paid himself for the house, thereby cleansing the money. Epstein, on his part, would be senetenced to 30 months, 12 of those months in jail on a prostitution charge. After the election, when Bannon was introduced to Epstein, Bannon told him, "You were the one person I was truly afraid of coming forward during the campaign." "not surprising" said Epstein. please note The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the property of JEE Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved HOUSE OVERSIGHT 030975