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{{short description|Russian-American mobster (born 1966)}}
{{Infobox person <!-- DO NOT REMOVE prior to the result of the Presidential election -->
{{use mdy dates |date=August 2023}}
| name = Felix Sater
{{Infobox person
| image = File:Felix_Sater.jpg
| caption = Felix Sater, July 2012
| name = Felix Sater
| image =
| birth_name = Haim Felix Sater
| birth_name = Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky or Haim Felix Sater
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|3|2}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|3|2}}
| birth_place = [[Moscow]], Russia.
| residence = [[New York City]], New York
| birth_place = [[Moscow]], [[Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| death_date =
| education = [[Pace University]]
| death_place =
| occupation = Real estate developer
| alias = {{plainlist}}
| years_active = 1989–present
* Felix Satter<ref name="bbc717">{{cite web |last=Kozlovasky |first=Vladimir |title=Фе́ликс Сейтер: жизнь между Трампом, ФБР и русской мафией |trans-title=Felix Sater: Life among Trump, the FBI and the Russian Mafia |url=http://www.bbc.com/russian/features-40630592 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |date=July 17, 2017 |website=[[BBC Russian Service]] |language=ru}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Bagli"/>
| religion = [[Judaism]]
* Felix Slater<ref name="McClatchy">{{cite web |last=Hall |first=Kevin |title=Meet the ex-con who ties himself to Trump |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article164077497.html |access-date=August 18, 2017 |website=[[McClatchyDC]] |date=July 28, 2017}}</ref>
| parents = {{unbulleted list|Mikhail Sater|Rachel Sater}}
* Felix Sader<ref name="McClatchy"/>
| website = {{url|http://www.felixsater.com}}
* Haim F Sater<ref name="McClatchy"/>
| spouse = Viktoria Sater
* Hai Ying Sater<ref name="McClatchy"/>
{{endplainlist}}
| education = [[Pace University]]
| occupation = Real estate developer, FBI informant
| years_active = 1989–present
| spouse = Viktoria Sater
}}
}}


'''Felix Henry Sater''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|eɪ|t|ər}} (born '''Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky''';<ref name="snob">{{cite web |last=Babushkin |first=Yevgeny |title=Фе́ликс Сатер: Как я советовал Трампу и охотился на Бен Ладена |trans-title=Felix Sater: As I advised Trump and hunted Bin Laden |url=https://snob.ru/selected/entry/116532 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |work=Snob.ru |date=November 15, 2016 |language=ru-RU |quote=Бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Шеферовский – человек редкой судьбы. (Former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Sheferovsky, is a man of rare fate.)}}</ref><ref name="gazeta32017">{{cite web |last=Bratersky |first=Alexander |script-title=ru:Сенат США сделал устный доклад о России |trans-title=US Senate held hearing on Russia |url=https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2017/03/30_a_10601981.shtml#page1 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |work=[[Gazeta.ru]] |date=March 30, 2017 |language=ru |quote=Среди персон, попавших в поле зрения сенаторов, – бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Фе́ликс Шерефовский. (Among the people the senators have in their sites is the former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Felix Sherefovsky (sic).)}}</ref> {{langx|ru|Фе́ликс Миха́йлович Шеферовский}}; March 2, 1966) is a Russian-American mobster, [[convicted felon]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Paul |date=May 23, 2018 |title=Trump lawyer 'paid by Ukraine' to arrange White House talks |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44215656 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=May 23, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602030650/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44215656 |archive-date=June 2, 2018}}</ref> [[real estate developer]] and former managing director of [[Bayrock Group LLC]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newsweek.com/felix-sater-who-trump-senate-871713 |title=Who Is Felix Sater? Former Trump Business Associate Talking To Senate Intelligence Committee |last=Price |first=Greg |date=April 4, 2018 |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> a real estate conglomerate based out of [[New York City]]. He has been an advisor to corporations such as [[The Trump Organization]],<ref name="NYT-Apuzzo">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/politics/trump-tower-putin-felix-sater.html |title=Felix Sater, Trump Associate, Boasted That Moscow Business Deal 'Will Get Donald Elected' |first1=Matt |last1=Apuzzo |author-link1=Matt Apuzzo |first2=Maggie |last2=Haberman |author-link2=Maggie Haberman |date=August 28, 2017 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref> and the [[Mirax Group]].
‘Felix Henry Sater’ (born ‘Haim Felix Sater’, March 2, 1966) is a Russian-born American real estate developer and managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, a real estate conglomerate based out of [[New York City]], New York. Felix has been an advisor to many corporations, including [[The Trump Organization]], Rixos Hotels and Resorts, Sembol Construction, [[Potok]] (formerly the Mirax Group), and TxOil.


In 1998, Sater pleaded guilty to his involvement in a $40 million stock fraud scheme orchestrated by the [[Russian Mafia]],<ref name="WaPo-HH">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-mafia-linked-figure-describes-association-with-trump/2016/05/17/cec6c2c6-16d3-11e6-aa55-670cabef46e0_story.html |title=Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump |last1=Helderman |first1=Rosalind S.|last2=Hamburger |first2=Tom |date=May 17, 2016 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name="nwswk-634932">{{cite news |date=July 11, 2017 |title=Trump, the Russian Lawyer and the Pop Star: President's Links to Azerbaijan Oligarch Come Under Scrutiny |url=http://www.newsweek.com/trump-azerbaijan-pop-star-russian-lawyer-634932 |newspaper=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=July 11, 2017}}</ref> and became an informant for the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and federal prosecutors, assisting with organized crime investigations. In 2017, Sater agreed to cooperate with investigators into international [[money laundering]] schemes.<ref name="ft717">{{cite news |last1=Burgis |first1=Tom |title=Russia-born dealmaker linked to Trump assists laundering probe |url=https://www.ft.com/content/159eb2d8-6162-11e7-8814-0ac7eb84e5f1 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=July 6, 2017 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
===Early Life and Education===


During [[Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign|Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign]], Sater worked with [[Michael Cohen (lawyer)|Michael Cohen]], former attorney for The Trump Organization, to broker a deal to build a [[Trump Tower Moscow]], asserting to Cohen that he could boost Trump's election prospects through his Russian contacts.<ref>Mueller report Vol. 1 p. 71</ref> On June 21, 2019, Sater was issued a subpoena by the [[House Intelligence Committee]] after he refused a request to testify voluntarily.<ref name=subpoenaed>{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/31LRARZ|title=House Intel subpoenas Felix Sater after he fails to appear for testimony|first1=Rew|last1=Desiderio|first2=Natasha|last2=Bertr|website=[[Politico]]|date=June 21, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=hillsubpoena /> On July 9, 2019, Sater appeared before the House Intelligence Committee, but repeatedly withheld testimony and documents concerning the details of a false joint defense agreement and thus remains under subpoena.<ref name=politicojuly9>{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2NIsIaJ|title=Felix Sater slammed by House panel as uncooperative|first=Natasha|last=Bertr|website=[[Politico]]|date=July 9, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=hillspeaks />
Felix Sater was born in [[Moscow]], Soviet Union on March 2, 1966 to parents Mikhail and Rachel Sater. A Jewish family, the Saters emigrated to Israel when Felix was eight year old to avoid religious persecution in the Soviet Union, and eventually came to the United States, living in [[Baltimore, Maryland]] before settling in [[Brighton Beach, New York]] in 1974.


==Early life and family==
===Business Career===
Sater was born in Moscow into a [[Russian Jewish]] family, the son of Mikhail Sheferovsky and Rachel Sheferovskaya. He has a sister, Regina. The family emigrated to [[Israel]] when Felix was 8 years old to avoid [[religious persecution]] in the Soviet Union, and eventually came to the [[United States]], living in [[Baltimore, Maryland]] before settling in [[Brighton Beach, New York]] in 1974.<ref name="NYT-Bagli">{{cite news |last1=Bagli |first1=Charles V. |title=Real Estate Executive With Hand in Trump Projects Rose From Tangled Past |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/nyregion/17trump.html |access-date=May 14, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 17, 2007}}</ref> Felix and his sister adopted the surname Sater. Mikhail Sheferovsky (also known as Michael Sheferofsky) states that the family name was Saterov at some point ({{lang|ru|Сатаров}}).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kozlovsky |first1=Vladimir |script-title=ru:Советник с большой дороги |trans-title=Adviser on the big road |language=ru |url=https://newtimes.ru/stati/xroniki/testovaya-statya-s-primerom-oformleniya.html |access-date=May 14, 2017 |work=[[The New Times (magazine)|The New Times]] |date=June 13, 2016}}</ref> According to the [[FBI]], Mikhail Sheferovsky was an [[underboss]] for [[Russian Mafia]] "boss of bosses" [[Semion Mogilevich]], and was convicted of extorting money from local restaurants, grocery stores, and a medical clinic.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 13, 2017 |title=Trump's Russian Laundromat |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate |first=Craig |last=Unger |newspaper=The New Republic |access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref>


Felix Sater was reportedly a childhood friend of [[Michael Cohen (lawyer)|Michael Cohen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-388-trump-s-mob-ties-new-brunswick-flood-muterkelly-p-k-subban-s-dad-mercury-13-and-more-1.4646381/active-measures-director-says-trump-s-russian-mob-ties-are-his-biggest-legal-vulnerability-1.4646401 |first=Brent |last=Bambury |title=Active Measures director says Trump's Russian mob ties are his biggest legal vulnerability |date=May 4, 2018 |website=CBC Radio |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>
After attending Pace University, Felix shot to stardom as a successful stock broker on Wall Street, working for Bear Stearns. After some time, he changed paths and became a senior advisor for several corporations and high-level industries in the fields of real estate, hotels, general business, investing, and oil. He served as the senior advisor to Chairman Fettah Tamince of Rixos Otelleri, a Turkish hotel and resort company, starting in 2005. In 2007, he spent time as the senior advisor of Sembol Construction, a privately-held construction company based in Istanbul, Turkey.


==Business and advisory career==
In January 2008, he joined the Russian real estate company Mirax Group as a senior advisor to Sergei Polonsky, staying onboard through the integration of Mirax into the holding company Potok in 2011. In 2009, Felix joined Global Habitat Solutions as a managing director. Global Habitat Solutions is a congolmerate based in New York City offering solutions in the fields of housing, energy, and infrastructure. Felix also sits as a senior advisor of TxOil, a Turkmenistan-based oil company, a position he has held since September 2011.
Sater attended [[Pace University]], dropping out at the age of 18<ref name="NYT-Bagli"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=Timothy L. |title=Trump, Russia and a Shadowy Business Partnership |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-21/trump-russia-and-those-shadowy-sater-deals-at-bayrock |access-date=June 6, 2018 |work=[[Bloomberg LP|Bloomberg]] |date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> to work on [[Financial District, Manhattan|Wall Street]], initially as a [[Cold calling|cold-caller]] at [[Bear Stearns]].<ref name="Wall Street Days">{{cite web |last1=Hettena |first1=Seth |title=Felix Sater's Wall Street Days |date=September 2, 2017 |url=https://trump-russia.com/2017/09/02/felix-saters-wall-street-days/ |website=Trump/Russia |access-date=June 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rice |first1=Andrew |title=The Original Russia Connection |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/felix-sater-donald-trump-russia-investigation.html |access-date=June 6, 2018 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=August 3, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYSD 2010">{{cite web |title=Joshua Bernstein vs. Bayrock Group LLC: Felix H. Sater |url=https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/New_York_Southern_District_Court/1--13-cv-03905/Kriss_et_al_v._Bayrock_Group_LLC_et_al/36/7/ |access-date=June 6, 2018 |location=New York Southern District Court |format=deposition |date=March 9, 2010}}</ref> He subsequently worked at brokerages [[Ladenburg Thalmann]], Broadchild Securities, Rooney Pace, [[Shearson]], Moseley Securities, [[Gruntal & Co.]], and [[Lehman Brothers]].<ref name="Wall Street Days"/><ref name="NYSD 2010"/><ref name="FINRA">{{cite web |title=BrokerCheck: Felix Henry Sater |url=https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/1421063 |website=[[FINRA]] |access-date=June 6, 2018}}</ref> In 1991, he smashed a margarita glass in a bar and used it to stab a commodities broker in the face, causing the man to need 110 stitches.<ref name="NYT-Bagli"/><ref name="Memory Lapse">{{cite news |last1=Mosk |first1=Matthew |last2=Ross |first2=Brian |title=Memory Lapse? Trump Seeks Distance From 'Advisor' With Past Ties to Mafia |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/memory-lapse-trump-seeks-distance-advisor-past-ties/story?id=34600826 |access-date=June 6, 2018 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=December 10, 2015}}</ref> For this, Sater was convicted of first-degree assault in 1993;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gitlin |first1=Todd |title=The Donald Trump Story You're Not Hearing About |url=https://billmoyers.com/story/donald-trump-story-youre-not-hearing/ |access-date=June 6, 2018 |work=[[Bill Moyers|BillMoyers.com]] |date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> spent 15 months in prison,<ref name=crook/> and was barred by the [[National Association of Securities Dealers]] from acting as a broker or otherwise associating with a broker-dealer firm.<ref name="NYT-Bagli"/><ref name="FINRA"/> In January 2022, Sater claimed that the barfight victim had tried to decline pressing charges, but that the U.S. government kept pressing because they wanted cooperation from Sater's father.<ref>{{ cite web | title=Let's Talk Felix Sater |website = [[YouTube]]| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNKVr6YxGZM | time=117m55s | quote=I was involved in a stock fraud. There was a reason why that happened. Um, because the U.S. government decided to throw me in jail over a barfight, um, because they wanted to get my father to cooperate with them. Most people don't know that story. I think nobody knows that story. It's maybe the first time that I'm telling anyone. Um, I got into a barfight. The guy tried to drop the charges. And the U.S. government showed up at my father's doorstep and said, "If you don't cooperate with us, we're going to send him to jail." And they did. And he didn't. And they did. And they took my license away. And I was angry that my life was taken away, and I was used. And that's when I went into the stock fraud thing. And I had a small child, a recently-born child. And no money for rent. And, you know, I did what I did. Not justifying it. I'm just stating a fact of what happened.}}</ref>


In 2008, Sater joined the board of the Russian real estate company [[Mirax Group]], owned by [[Sergei Polonsky]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-moscow-luxury-tower-plan-donald-trump-paired-with-developer-for-russias-working-class-1504245550 |title=In Moscow Luxury-Tower Plan, Donald Trump Paired With Developer for Russia's Working Class |first1=Paul |last1=Sonne |first2=Rebecca |last2=Ballhaus |first3=Alexandra |last3=Berzon |first4=Nathan |last4=Hodge |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=13 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-01/trump-s-would-be-moscow-partner-faces-ire-of-homebuyers |title=Trump's Would-Be Moscow Partner Faces Homebuyers' Ire |first1=Alexander |last1=Sazonov |first2=David |last2=Voreacos |first3=Irina |last3=Reznik |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=13 December 2020}}</ref>
===Bayrock Group===


==Work with the Bayrock Group==
Felix joined Bayrock Group LLC as a senior advisor in 1999 at the bequest of the company's owner and founder, Tevfik Arif. As a senior advisor, he assisted with several projects, including executive decisions in the [[Trump SoHo]] project.
{{main|Bayrock Group}}
Sater joined [[Bayrock Group]] LLC as a senior advisor in 2003 at the behest of the company's owner and founder, [[Tevfik Arif]]. As a senior advisor, he assisted with several projects, including executive decisions in the [[Trump SoHo]] project.<ref name="ft-549ddfaa">{{cite news |last1=Silverman |first1=Gary |title=US election: Trump's Russian riddle |url=https://www.ft.com/content/549ddfaa-5fa5-11e6-b38c-7b39cbb1138a |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=August 14, 2016 |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> He left Bayrock Group LLC in 2008 after the New York Times disclosed his pending criminal case.<ref name="ft-549ddfaa"/>


====Trump SoHo====
===Trump SoHo===
Felix Sater was a managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, as well as a senior advisor to [[Donald Trump]] and [[The Trump Organization]] when construction of the Trump SoHo began in 2006.<ref name="Memory Lapse"/>{{Disputed inline|date=November 2018}}


Felix Sater was a managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, as well as a senior advisor to [[Donald Trump]] and [[The Trump Organization]] when construction of the Trump SoHo began in [[2006]]. He played a major role throughout the process of the building's construction, and remained managing director of Bayrock Group when the Trump SoHo project was completed in 2010. The building is a $450 million, 46-story, 39-unit hotel condominium located at 246 Spring Street in [[SoHo]], New York City. The project was a collaboration between The Trump Organization, Bayrock Group LLC and [[Tamir Sapir]].
He played a major role throughout the process of the building's construction, and remained managing director of Bayrock Group when the Trump SoHo project was completed in 2010. The building is a $450 million, 46-story, 391-unit hotel condominium located at 246 Spring Street in [[SoHo]], New York City. The project was a collaboration between The Trump Organization, Bayrock Group LLC and [[Tamir Sapir]].


In December 2017, the Trump SoHo was renamed to [[The Dominick]].
===Personal life===


==Other projects==
Felix currently resides in Port Washington, New York, where he lives with his wife, Viktoria, and three daughters. He is an active member of the Chabad of Port Washington.
Sater has been an advisor, investor, or developer in notable real estate projects including the [[Trump International Hotel & Residence]] in Phoenix, Arizona, the [[Conrad Fort Lauderdale]] and [[Midtown Miami]] in Florida, and [[Cornwall Terrace]] and [[1 Blackfriars]] in London.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.felixsater.net/other-projects/ |title=Project Portfolio |website=Felix Sater |access-date=February 28, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307135415/http://www.felixsater.net/other-projects/ |archive-date=March 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.behance.net/felixsater |title=Felix Sater Profile |website=Behance.Net |access-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513061601/https://www.behance.net/felixsater |archive-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>

In addition to real estate development endeavors, Sater also has started businesses in the fields of investment, retail, and energy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.felixsater.net/ |title=Felix Sater: The Trump SoHo and Other Projects |website=Felixsater.net |access-date=March 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217075828/http://www.felixsater.net/ |archive-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>

In late January 2017, Sater met with Ukrainian politician [[Andrey Artemenko]] and [[Donald Trump]]'s personal lawyer, [[Michael Cohen (lawyer)|Michael Cohen]], at the Loews Regency in Manhattan to discuss a plan to lift [[International sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis|sanctions against Russia]]. The proposed plan would require that Russian forces withdraw from eastern Ukraine and that Ukraine hold a referendum on whether [[Crimea]] should be "leased" to Russia for 50 or 100 years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Twohey |first1=Megan |last2=Shane |first2=Scott |title=A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/us/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-russia.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 19, 2017 |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> On 20 February 2017, Russian Foreign Minister [[Sergei Lavrov]] rejected Russia "leasing" Crimea from Ukraine claiming "we cannot rent from ourselves".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pravdareport.com/news/russia/kremlin/20-02-2017/136904-russia_crimea-0/ |title=Russia can't rent Crimea from Russia, FM Lavrov says |date=February 20, 2017 |website=[[Pravda.ru]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>

==Criminal convictions and federal cooperation==
Felix Sater has been described as a career criminal due to his links to [[organized crime]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-29/felix-sater-is-a-lean-mean-trump-russia-machine |title=Felix Sater Is a Lean, Mean Trump-Russia Machine |first=Timothy L. |last=O'Brien |date=August 29, 2017 |website=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/russiagates-second-smoking-gun-w500294 |first=Bob |last=Dreyfuss |date=August 30, 2017 |title=Russiagate's Second Smoking Gun |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/06/23/who-is-felix-sater-meet-the-shady-russian-investor-who-may-be-a-centerpiece-of-the-investigation/ |title=Who is Felix Sater? Meet the shady Russian investor who may be a centerpiece of the investigation |first=Bob |last=Cesca |date=June 23, 2017 |website=[[Salon.com|Salon]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-22/trumps-ditch-soho-hotel-but-not-robert-mueller |title=Trumps Can Never Really Check Out of SoHo Hotel |first=Timothy L. |last=O'Brien |date=November 22, 2017 |website=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://billmoyers.com/story/msnbc-steven-harper-talks-moscow-tower-deal-will-get-donald-elected/ |title=On MSNBC Steven Harper Talks About the Moscow Tower Deal That 'Will Get Donald Elected' |date=September 12, 2017 |website=BillMoyers.com |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> In 1991, Sater got into an argument with a commodities broker at the El Rio Grande restaurant and bar in [[Midtown Manhattan]]. He stabbed the man's cheek and neck with the stem of a cocktail glass, breaking his jaw, lacerating his face, and severing nerves, creating a wound that would require 110 stitches to treat. Sater was convicted of first degree [[assault]], and spent 15 months in minimum security Edgecombe Correctional Facility in New York City before being [[parole]]d.<ref name="NYT-Bagli"/><ref name="WaPo-HH"/><ref name=crook>{{cite news |date=February 24, 2017 |title=Felix Sater: The Crook Behind the Trump-Russia 'Peace' Plan |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/felix-sater-the-crook-behind-the-trump-russia-peace-plan |first1=Michael |last1=Daly |first2=Michael |last2=Weiss |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref> In 1998, Sater was convicted of fraud in connection to a $40 million [[penny stock]] [[pump and dump]] scheme conducted by the [[Russian Mafia]]<ref name="WaPo-HH"/><ref name="nwswk-634932"/> involving his company White Rock Partners. In return for a guilty plea, Sater agreed to assist the [[FBI]] and federal prosecutors as an informant on organized crime.<ref name="latimes3217"/> In 2009, he was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine; he served no prison time and paid no restitution to his stock-fraud victims.<ref name="latimes3217"/> As a result of his assistance, Sater's court records were sealed by [[Loretta Lynch]], then the [[United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York]].<ref name="BF Double Life"/> Lynch's decision to seal his records, and the lack of any victim restitution, were discussed at her 2015 Congressional confirmation hearings to become attorney general;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/loretta-lynch-responds-reporting-allegations-she-slighted-victims-rights-ryan-lovelace/ |title=Loretta Lynch Responds to Reporting on Allegations She Slighted Victims' Rights |first=Ryan |last=Lovelace |work=[[National Review]] |date=February 12, 2015 |access-date=December 10, 2020}}</ref> she stated that Sater provided "information crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of ''[[La Cosa Nostra]]''. In 2006 there was a lawsuit that alleged that Sater made a death threat against a Bayrock investor named Ernie Menez. Sater threatened to have a man electrically shock Menez's genitals, cut off his legs, and have him put in the trunk of a car. Sater possibly did this because of Menez finding out about his past convictions and links to [[organized crime]].<ref name="WaPo-HH"/><ref name="latimes3217">{{cite news |last1=Tanfani |first1=Joseph |last2=Cloud |first2=David S. |title=Trump business associate led double life as FBI informant – and more, he says |url=http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-sater-trump-20170223-story.html |access-date=May 14, 2017 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeff |title=Judge asks US to defend secrecy of Trump associate's history |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-judge-wants-us-to-protect-trump-associates-secret-2016mar21-story.html |work=San Diego Tribune |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 21, 2016 |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>

The ''[[Financial Times]]'', citing five sources with knowledge of the matter, reported that Sater had agreed to cooperate with investigators looking into an international [[money laundering]] scheme involving [[Viktor Khrapunov]], a former government minister in [[Kazakhstan]]. Khrapunov, who now lives in Switzerland, has been accused by the Kazakhstani government of [[embezzling]] millions of dollars and is wanted by [[Interpol]].<ref name="ft717"/>

Sater received multiple subpoenas to produce documents and be deposed in the case against [[Mukhtar Ablyazov]] who is alleged to have defrauded [[BTA Bank]] of up to $5 billion as chairman.<ref name="subpeonas">{{cite news |title=Trump Crony Felix Sater Now Cooperating in New York in Kazakh/BTA Bank Trial |url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/23/1735496/-Trump-Crony-Felix-Sater-Subpoenaed-in-New-York-in-Kazakh-BTA-Bank-Heist-Outlined-by-Maddow |date=January 24, 2018 |website=[[Daily Kos]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> Ablyazov's alleged fraud is one of the biggest cases of financial fraud in history.<ref name="biggest">{{cite news |title=Arrest warrant for Kazakh billionaire accused of one of world's biggest frauds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/feb/16/arrest-warrant-kazakh-billionaire-mukhtar-ablyazov |first=Rupert |last=Neate |date=February 16, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>

In 2020 there was a lawsuit accusing Felix Sater and his partner Daniel Ridloff of using Trump properties such as [[Bayrock Group|Bayrock]] to launder millions of dollars in stolen funds. Sater has denied the allegations and has attempted to settle the suit but was not successful.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Mary |last=Papenfuss |date=2020-12-01 |title=Former Trump Associate Felix Sater Must Face Money Laundering Suit|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/felix-sater-money-laundering-trump-porperties_n_5fc5958ac5b68ca87f87132a|access-date=2021-11-15|website=[[HuffPost]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FinCEN Files: Trump Associate Felix Sater's $100 Million In "Suspicious" Transactions |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/anthonycormier/fincen-files-what-banks-said-about-felix-sater-and-100 |access-date=2021-11-15 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]]|date=October 15, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

===Role in the manhunt for Osama bin Laden===

In December 2017, Sater was questioned by a congressional committee in an out-of-state interview about [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/politics/house-intel-new-york-interviews/index.html |title=House intel heading to NY for two key interviews, prompting grumbling from Democrats|date=14 December 2017|accessdate=3 April 2023 |work=[[CNN]] |first=ManU |last=Raju |first2=Jeremy |last2=Herb}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-interview-with-longtime-trump-aide-fuels-tension-on-intelligence-panel/2017/12/14/c8207a16-e107-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html|title=House interview with longtime Trump aide fuels tension on intelligence panel|date=14 December 2017|accessdate=3 April 2023|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Karoun |last=Demirjian}}</ref> In his opening statement to that interview, Sater claimed to be a confidential source for the U.S. Government who played an important role in providing intelligence related to the [[Northern Alliance]] and [[Taliban]], and locating and disrupting [[Al-Qaeda]] operations in Afghanistan as well as locating [[Osama bin Laden]] prior to the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4406681-3851126-v1-Day-of-Revised-FS-StatementDOCX|title=Felix Sater House Intelligence Committee Statement December 2017|date=14 December 2017|accessdate=3 April 2023|publisher=House Intelligence Committee |first=Felix |last=Sater}}</ref> Sater further claimed that he had been in a position to kill bin Laden in 1998 during a raid on a terrorist training camp inside Afghanistan and regretted his decision not to, a claim that was later confirmed by investigative journalists [[Jason Leopold]] and [[Anthony Cormier]] via U.S. intelligence officials with knowledge of the incident.<ref>{{cite podcast|host=Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier|title=Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN File|website=[[BuzzFeed News]]|publisher=[[BuzzFeed News]]|date=19 October 2020|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/buzzfeednews/listen-to-the-series-finale-of-our-fincen-files-podcast |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref> In 2019, as part of a broader discussion with the House Intelligence Committee about his years-long cooperation with the FBI, CIA, and Defense Intelligence Agency, Sater formally testified to assisting the U.S. Government locate Osama Bin Laden.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/former-trump-business-partner-felix-sater-meets-with-house-intelligence-committee/2019/07/09/ec29cb1c-a251-11e9-bd56-eac6bb02d01d_story.html|title=After hours of testimony, House panel presses ex-Trump partner for more detail on Moscow project|date=9 July 2019|accessdate=3 April 2023|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|author=Karoun Demirjian}}</ref> Judge [[I. Leo Glasser]] confirmed that Sater helped the U.S. government track down bin Laden as he provided the telephone number of Osama bin Laden.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/444185-trump-associate-gave-us-government-osama-bin-ladens-phone-number |title=Trump associate gave US government Osama bin Laden's phone number, judge says |first=Rachel |last=Frazin |date=May 16, 2019 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://politi.co/2Q9kdD4 |title=Judge confirms Trump associate gave feds Osama bin Laden's number |first=Natasha |last=Bertr |date=May 16, 2019 |website=[[Politico]]|access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> Sater had been in a position to access information related to bin Laden's phone numbers and whereabouts due to having been involved with a telecommunications company with ties to the [[GRU (Russian Federation)|GRU]] in the mid-1990s that operated in former Soviet bloc countries and sold transmission data to [[AT&T]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/2018/06/15/sater-963255.html|title=Donald Trump Associate Felix Sater Is Linked to the Mob and the CIA—What's His Role in the Russia Investigation?|date=7 June 2018|accessdate=3 April 2023|work=[[Newsweek]] |first=Bill |last=Powell}}</ref>

==Involvement with Trump Organization during presidential campaign==
[[The Trump Organization]] pursued a luxury hotel and condominium project in Moscow—dubbed the [[Trump Tower Moscow]]—during the Trump presidential campaign. This project was facilitated by [[Michael Cohen (lawyer)|Michael Cohen]], then an attorney for the Trump Organization, and from January 2016 to May 2017 Trump's personal attorney. Trump signed a nonbinding "letter of intent" dated October 13, 2015, to proceed with the project.<ref name="NYT-Apuzzo"/> The letter, also signed by Russian investor [[Andrei Rozov]], was forwarded to Cohen by Sater. He boasted to Cohen about his connections to Vladimir Putin, saying in an email to Cohen on November 13, 2015, "Buddy our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins [''sic''] team to buy in on this. I will manage this process." He also asserted that he had secured financing for the project through the Russian state-owned [[VTB Bank]], which was under sanctions by the United States government.<ref name="NYT-Apuzzo"/> ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'' reported on March 12, 2018, that [[Special Counsel investigation (2017–present)|Mueller's investigators]] had questioned Sater,<ref name="BF Double Life">{{cite news |date=March 12, 2018 |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/anthonycormier/felix-sater-trump-russia-undercover-us-spy |title=How A Player In The Trump–Russia Scandal Led A Double Life As An American Spy |first1=Anthony |last1=Cormier |first2=Jason |last2=Leopold |website=[[BuzzFeed News]] |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414134855/https://www.buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier/felix-sater-trump-russia-undercover-us-spy |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and on April 13, 2018, reported that a former Russian spy had helped secure financing for the project.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 13, 2018 |first1=Jason |last1=Leopold |first2=Anthony |last2=Cormier |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/donald-trump-russian-spy-moscow-gru-felix-sater |title=Former Russian Spy Worked On Trump Moscow Deal While Trump Was Running For President |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413215850/https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/donald-trump-russian-spy-moscow-gru-felix-sater |archive-date=April 13, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2010, Sater was provided business cards describing himself as "Senior Advisor to Donald Trump" with an email address at TrumpOrg.com.<ref name="Memory Lapse"/> In a 2013 sworn affidavit, Trump said "If [Sater] were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like,"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/who-is-felix-sater-and-why-is-donald-trump-so-afraid-of-him/ |title=Who Is Felix Sater, and Why Is Donald Trump So Afraid of Him? |first=Bob |last=Dreyfuss |date=September 8, 2017 |work=The Nation |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414093615/https://www.thenation.com/article/who-is-felix-sater-and-why-is-donald-trump-so-afraid-of-him/ |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and in 2015 he stated "Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it. I'm not that familiar with him."<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeff |last=Horwitz |date=December 4, 2015 |url=https://bigstory.ap.org/article/29c255c0b69a48258ecae69a61612537/trump-pickedstock-fraud-felon-senior-adviser |title=Trump picked stock fraud felon as senior adviser |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=April 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204141007/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/29c255c0b69a48258ecae69a61612537/trump-picked-stock-fraud-felon-senior-adviser |archive-date=December 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Trump has been photographed several times with Sater, including while speaking privately with him.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/us/politics/trump-russia-felix-sater-michael-cohen.html |title=How a Lawyer, a Felon and a Russian General Chased a Moscow Trump Tower Deal |first1=Mike |last1=McIntire |first2=Megan |last2=Twohey |first3=Mark |last3=Mazzetti |date=November 29, 2018 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/12/6/18127229/trump-felix-sater-tower-moscow-spy |title=Felix Sater, the spy, criminal, and mafia-linked executive tied to Trump Tower Moscow, explained |first=Alex |last=Ward |date=December 6, 2018 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-04/felix-sater-long-time-business-partner-to-donald-trump/9815904 |title=Felix Sater: the business partner Donald Trump wants nothing to do with |first1=Sarah |last1=Ferguson |first2=Jeanavive |last2=McGregor |first3=Lucy |last3=Carter |date=June 4, 2018 |website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/28/16215710/felix-sater-trump-russia |title=A Trump associate bragged that a business deal with Putin could "get Donald elected" |first=Andrew |last=Prokop |date=August 28, 2017 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref>

Sater's anticipated public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, scheduled for March 27, 2019,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-sater-idUSKCN1QP1YH |title=Trump associate Felix Sater's testimony postponed to March 27 |date=March 8, 2019 |website=[[Reuters]]|access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> was postponed pending the imminent release of the [[Mueller Report]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/435712-house-intel-panel-postpones-interview-with-felix-sater-to-focus-on |title=House Intel panel postpones interview with Felix Sater to focus on Mueller findings |first=Morgan |last=Chalfant |date=March 25, 2019 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> He was then rescheduled to give closed-door testimony on June 21, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/06/21/us/politics/ap-us-congress-russia-probe-sater.html|title=Russia-Born Executive to Testify About Trump Moscow Project|agency=Associated Press|date=2019-06-21|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2019-06-21|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On June 21, 2019, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to Sater after he skipped a testimony which he agreed to voluntarily.<ref name=subpoenaed /><ref name=hillsubpoena>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/449702-house-panel-to-subpoena-trump-associate-felix-sater|title=House Intelligence Committee to subpoena Trump associate Felix Sater|first=Timothy R.|last=Homan|date=June 21, 2019|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref> He later appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on July 9, 2019 during a closed door meeting which lasted for eight hours. Though Sater claimed that he cooperated and provided information about the Trump Tower project, Patrick Boland, spokesman for House Intelligence Committee Chairman [[Adam Schiff]], denied this and stated that Sater only partially cooperated and showed defiance by withholding requested testimony and documents concerning a real estate project which Sater acknowledged was falsely presented as a joint defense agreement between Trump and Russia and the telephone conversations pertaining to this agreement.<ref name=politicojuly9 /><ref name=hillspeaks>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/452300-trump-associate-felix-sater-grilled-by-house-intel|title=Trump associate Felix Sater grilled by House Intel|first=Brandon|last=Conradis|date=July 9, 2019|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref> Boland also stated that Sater will remain under subpoena until he cooperates with this request.<ref name=hillspeaks /><ref name=politicojuly9 />

==Personal life==
His wife, Viktoria, is the founder and owner of a granola health food company.<ref name="bizjournals.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/05/why-grocers-scooped-up-vikis-granola.html |title=Why grocers scooped up Viki's Granola |last=Wylie |first=Melissa |date=May 12, 2017 |work=[[American City Business Journals]] |access-date=May 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name="bizjournals.com1">{{cite news |url=https://projecteve.com/5-questions-with-woman-of-influence-vikis-granolas-viki-sater/ |title=5 Questions with Woman of Influence, Viki's Granola's Viki Sater |date=January 20, 2016 |first=Nancy |last=Laws |website=Project Eve |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> Felix Sater was a member of the [[Chabad]] of Port Washington and was named their Man of the Year in 2010 and 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/118261510 |title=Dinner 2010: Felix Sater |author=Rabbi Paltiel |website=Vimeo |access-date=February 29, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302122532/https://vimeo.com/118261510 |archive-date=March 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSpFtCmoD5o |title=Felix Sater – Man Of The Year: Chabad of Port Washington |author=Felix Sater |date=August 8, 2014 |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=February 29, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia]]
* [[Links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies]]
* ''[[Mueller Report]]''
* [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]]

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/thomasfrank/secret-money-how-trump-made-millions-selling-condos-to |title=Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers |author-link=Thomas Frank |last=Frank |first=Thomas |date=January 12, 2018 |website=[[BuzzFeed|BuzzFeed News]]}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/anthonycormier/felix-sater-trump-russia-undercover-us-spy |title=How A Player In The Trump-Russia Scandal Led A Double Life As An American Spy |author-link1=Anthony Cormier |last1=Cormier |first1=Anthony |author-link2=Jason Leopold |last2=Leopold |first2=Jason |date=March 12, 2018 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]]}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sater, Felix}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:American people convicted of assault]]
[[Category:American people convicted of fraud]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American businesspeople in real estate]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Businesspeople in construction]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Jewish American gangsters]]
[[Category:Pace University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Port Washington, New York]]
[[Category:Soviet Jews]]
[[Category:Soviet emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Russian businesspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

Latest revision as of 01:30, 29 October 2024

Felix Sater
Born
Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky or Haim Felix Sater

(1966-03-02) March 2, 1966 (age 58)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Other names
EducationPace University
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, FBI informant
Years active1989–present
SpouseViktoria Sater

Felix Henry Sater /ˈseɪtər/ (born Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky;[4][5] Russian: Фе́ликс Миха́йлович Шеферовский; March 2, 1966) is a Russian-American mobster, convicted felon,[6] real estate developer and former managing director of Bayrock Group LLC,[7] a real estate conglomerate based out of New York City. He has been an advisor to corporations such as The Trump Organization,[8] and the Mirax Group.

In 1998, Sater pleaded guilty to his involvement in a $40 million stock fraud scheme orchestrated by the Russian Mafia,[9][10] and became an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal prosecutors, assisting with organized crime investigations. In 2017, Sater agreed to cooperate with investigators into international money laundering schemes.[11]

During Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Sater worked with Michael Cohen, former attorney for The Trump Organization, to broker a deal to build a Trump Tower Moscow, asserting to Cohen that he could boost Trump's election prospects through his Russian contacts.[12] On June 21, 2019, Sater was issued a subpoena by the House Intelligence Committee after he refused a request to testify voluntarily.[13][14] On July 9, 2019, Sater appeared before the House Intelligence Committee, but repeatedly withheld testimony and documents concerning the details of a false joint defense agreement and thus remains under subpoena.[15][16]

Early life and family

[edit]

Sater was born in Moscow into a Russian Jewish family, the son of Mikhail Sheferovsky and Rachel Sheferovskaya. He has a sister, Regina. The family emigrated to Israel when Felix was 8 years old to avoid religious persecution in the Soviet Union, and eventually came to the United States, living in Baltimore, Maryland before settling in Brighton Beach, New York in 1974.[2] Felix and his sister adopted the surname Sater. Mikhail Sheferovsky (also known as Michael Sheferofsky) states that the family name was Saterov at some point (Сатаров).[17] According to the FBI, Mikhail Sheferovsky was an underboss for Russian Mafia "boss of bosses" Semion Mogilevich, and was convicted of extorting money from local restaurants, grocery stores, and a medical clinic.[18]

Felix Sater was reportedly a childhood friend of Michael Cohen.[19]

Business and advisory career

[edit]

Sater attended Pace University, dropping out at the age of 18[2][20] to work on Wall Street, initially as a cold-caller at Bear Stearns.[21][22][23] He subsequently worked at brokerages Ladenburg Thalmann, Broadchild Securities, Rooney Pace, Shearson, Moseley Securities, Gruntal & Co., and Lehman Brothers.[21][23][24] In 1991, he smashed a margarita glass in a bar and used it to stab a commodities broker in the face, causing the man to need 110 stitches.[2][25] For this, Sater was convicted of first-degree assault in 1993;[26] spent 15 months in prison,[27] and was barred by the National Association of Securities Dealers from acting as a broker or otherwise associating with a broker-dealer firm.[2][24] In January 2022, Sater claimed that the barfight victim had tried to decline pressing charges, but that the U.S. government kept pressing because they wanted cooperation from Sater's father.[28]

In 2008, Sater joined the board of the Russian real estate company Mirax Group, owned by Sergei Polonsky.[29][30]

Work with the Bayrock Group

[edit]
Main article: Bayrock Group

Sater joined Bayrock Group LLC as a senior advisor in 2003 at the behest of the company's owner and founder, Tevfik Arif. As a senior advisor, he assisted with several projects, including executive decisions in the Trump SoHo project.[31] He left Bayrock Group LLC in 2008 after the New York Times disclosed his pending criminal case.[31]

Trump SoHo

[edit]

Felix Sater was a managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, as well as a senior advisor to Donald Trump and The Trump Organization when construction of the Trump SoHo began in 2006.[25][disputed – discuss]

He played a major role throughout the process of the building's construction, and remained managing director of Bayrock Group when the Trump SoHo project was completed in 2010. The building is a $450 million, 46-story, 391-unit hotel condominium located at 246 Spring Street in SoHo, New York City. The project was a collaboration between The Trump Organization, Bayrock Group LLC and Tamir Sapir.

In December 2017, the Trump SoHo was renamed to The Dominick.

Other projects

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Sater has been an advisor, investor, or developer in notable real estate projects including the Trump International Hotel & Residence in Phoenix, Arizona, the Conrad Fort Lauderdale and Midtown Miami in Florida, and Cornwall Terrace and 1 Blackfriars in London.[32][33]

In addition to real estate development endeavors, Sater also has started businesses in the fields of investment, retail, and energy.[34]

In late January 2017, Sater met with Ukrainian politician Andrey Artemenko and Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, at the Loews Regency in Manhattan to discuss a plan to lift sanctions against Russia. The proposed plan would require that Russian forces withdraw from eastern Ukraine and that Ukraine hold a referendum on whether Crimea should be "leased" to Russia for 50 or 100 years.[35] On 20 February 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected Russia "leasing" Crimea from Ukraine claiming "we cannot rent from ourselves".[36]

Criminal convictions and federal cooperation

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Felix Sater has been described as a career criminal due to his links to organized crime.[37][38][39][40][41] In 1991, Sater got into an argument with a commodities broker at the El Rio Grande restaurant and bar in Midtown Manhattan. He stabbed the man's cheek and neck with the stem of a cocktail glass, breaking his jaw, lacerating his face, and severing nerves, creating a wound that would require 110 stitches to treat. Sater was convicted of first degree assault, and spent 15 months in minimum security Edgecombe Correctional Facility in New York City before being paroled.[2][9][27] In 1998, Sater was convicted of fraud in connection to a $40 million penny stock pump and dump scheme conducted by the Russian Mafia[9][10] involving his company White Rock Partners. In return for a guilty plea, Sater agreed to assist the FBI and federal prosecutors as an informant on organized crime.[42] In 2009, he was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine; he served no prison time and paid no restitution to his stock-fraud victims.[42] As a result of his assistance, Sater's court records were sealed by Loretta Lynch, then the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.[43] Lynch's decision to seal his records, and the lack of any victim restitution, were discussed at her 2015 Congressional confirmation hearings to become attorney general;[44] she stated that Sater provided "information crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of La Cosa Nostra. In 2006 there was a lawsuit that alleged that Sater made a death threat against a Bayrock investor named Ernie Menez. Sater threatened to have a man electrically shock Menez's genitals, cut off his legs, and have him put in the trunk of a car. Sater possibly did this because of Menez finding out about his past convictions and links to organized crime.[9][42][45]

The Financial Times, citing five sources with knowledge of the matter, reported that Sater had agreed to cooperate with investigators looking into an international money laundering scheme involving Viktor Khrapunov, a former government minister in Kazakhstan. Khrapunov, who now lives in Switzerland, has been accused by the Kazakhstani government of embezzling millions of dollars and is wanted by Interpol.[11]

Sater received multiple subpoenas to produce documents and be deposed in the case against Mukhtar Ablyazov who is alleged to have defrauded BTA Bank of up to $5 billion as chairman.[46] Ablyazov's alleged fraud is one of the biggest cases of financial fraud in history.[47]

In 2020 there was a lawsuit accusing Felix Sater and his partner Daniel Ridloff of using Trump properties such as Bayrock to launder millions of dollars in stolen funds. Sater has denied the allegations and has attempted to settle the suit but was not successful.[48][49]

Role in the manhunt for Osama bin Laden

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In December 2017, Sater was questioned by a congressional committee in an out-of-state interview about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[50][51] In his opening statement to that interview, Sater claimed to be a confidential source for the U.S. Government who played an important role in providing intelligence related to the Northern Alliance and Taliban, and locating and disrupting Al-Qaeda operations in Afghanistan as well as locating Osama bin Laden prior to the September 11 attacks.[52] Sater further claimed that he had been in a position to kill bin Laden in 1998 during a raid on a terrorist training camp inside Afghanistan and regretted his decision not to, a claim that was later confirmed by investigative journalists Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier via U.S. intelligence officials with knowledge of the incident.[53] In 2019, as part of a broader discussion with the House Intelligence Committee about his years-long cooperation with the FBI, CIA, and Defense Intelligence Agency, Sater formally testified to assisting the U.S. Government locate Osama Bin Laden.[54] Judge I. Leo Glasser confirmed that Sater helped the U.S. government track down bin Laden as he provided the telephone number of Osama bin Laden.[55][56] Sater had been in a position to access information related to bin Laden's phone numbers and whereabouts due to having been involved with a telecommunications company with ties to the GRU in the mid-1990s that operated in former Soviet bloc countries and sold transmission data to AT&T.[57]

Involvement with Trump Organization during presidential campaign

[edit]

The Trump Organization pursued a luxury hotel and condominium project in Moscow—dubbed the Trump Tower Moscow—during the Trump presidential campaign. This project was facilitated by Michael Cohen, then an attorney for the Trump Organization, and from January 2016 to May 2017 Trump's personal attorney. Trump signed a nonbinding "letter of intent" dated October 13, 2015, to proceed with the project.[8] The letter, also signed by Russian investor Andrei Rozov, was forwarded to Cohen by Sater. He boasted to Cohen about his connections to Vladimir Putin, saying in an email to Cohen on November 13, 2015, "Buddy our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins [sic] team to buy in on this. I will manage this process." He also asserted that he had secured financing for the project through the Russian state-owned VTB Bank, which was under sanctions by the United States government.[8] BuzzFeed News reported on March 12, 2018, that Mueller's investigators had questioned Sater,[43] and on April 13, 2018, reported that a former Russian spy had helped secure financing for the project.[58] In 2010, Sater was provided business cards describing himself as "Senior Advisor to Donald Trump" with an email address at TrumpOrg.com.[25] In a 2013 sworn affidavit, Trump said "If [Sater] were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like,"[59] and in 2015 he stated "Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it. I'm not that familiar with him."[60] Trump has been photographed several times with Sater, including while speaking privately with him.[61][62][63][64]

Sater's anticipated public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, scheduled for March 27, 2019,[65] was postponed pending the imminent release of the Mueller Report.[66] He was then rescheduled to give closed-door testimony on June 21, 2019.[67] On June 21, 2019, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to Sater after he skipped a testimony which he agreed to voluntarily.[13][14] He later appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on July 9, 2019 during a closed door meeting which lasted for eight hours. Though Sater claimed that he cooperated and provided information about the Trump Tower project, Patrick Boland, spokesman for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, denied this and stated that Sater only partially cooperated and showed defiance by withholding requested testimony and documents concerning a real estate project which Sater acknowledged was falsely presented as a joint defense agreement between Trump and Russia and the telephone conversations pertaining to this agreement.[15][16] Boland also stated that Sater will remain under subpoena until he cooperates with this request.[16][15]

Personal life

[edit]

His wife, Viktoria, is the founder and owner of a granola health food company.[68][69] Felix Sater was a member of the Chabad of Port Washington and was named their Man of the Year in 2010 and 2014.[70][71]

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Frank, Thomas (January 12, 2018). "Secret Money: How Trump Made Millions Selling Condos To Unknown Buyers". BuzzFeed News.
  • Cormier, Anthony; Leopold, Jason (March 12, 2018). "How A Player In The Trump-Russia Scandal Led A Double Life As An American Spy". BuzzFeed News.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kozlovasky, Vladimir (July 17, 2017). "Фе́ликс Сейтер: жизнь между Трампом, ФБР и русской мафией" [Felix Sater: Life among Trump, the FBI and the Russian Mafia]. BBC Russian Service (in Russian). Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Bagli, Charles V. (December 17, 2007). "Real Estate Executive With Hand in Trump Projects Rose From Tangled Past". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Hall, Kevin (July 28, 2017). "Meet the ex-con who ties himself to Trump". McClatchyDC. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  4. ^ Babushkin, Yevgeny (November 15, 2016). "Фе́ликс Сатер: Как я советовал Трампу и охотился на Бен Ладена" [Felix Sater: As I advised Trump and hunted Bin Laden]. Snob.ru (in Russian). Retrieved August 21, 2017. Бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Шеферовский – человек редкой судьбы. (Former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Sheferovsky, is a man of rare fate.)
  5. ^ Bratersky, Alexander (March 30, 2017). Сенат США сделал устный доклад о России [US Senate held hearing on Russia]. Gazeta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved August 21, 2017. Среди персон, попавших в поле зрения сенаторов, – бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Фе́ликс Шерефовский. (Among the people the senators have in their sites is the former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Felix Sherefovsky (sic).)
  6. ^ Wood, Paul (May 23, 2018). "Trump lawyer 'paid by Ukraine' to arrange White House talks". BBC News. Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Price, Greg (April 4, 2018). "Who Is Felix Sater? Former Trump Business Associate Talking To Senate Intelligence Committee". Newsweek. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Apuzzo, Matt; Haberman, Maggie (August 28, 2017). "Felix Sater, Trump Associate, Boasted That Moscow Business Deal 'Will Get Donald Elected'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom (May 17, 2016). "Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Trump, the Russian Lawyer and the Pop Star: President's Links to Azerbaijan Oligarch Come Under Scrutiny". Newsweek. July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Burgis, Tom (July 6, 2017). "Russia-born dealmaker linked to Trump assists laundering probe". Financial Times. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Mueller report Vol. 1 p. 71
  13. ^ a b Desiderio, Rew; Bertr, Natasha (June 21, 2019). "House Intel subpoenas Felix Sater after he fails to appear for testimony". Politico.
  14. ^ a b Homan, Timothy R. (June 21, 2019). "House Intelligence Committee to subpoena Trump associate Felix Sater". The Hill.
  15. ^ a b c Bertr, Natasha (July 9, 2019). "Felix Sater slammed by House panel as uncooperative". Politico.
  16. ^ a b c Conradis, Brandon (July 9, 2019). "Trump associate Felix Sater grilled by House Intel". The Hill.
  17. ^ Kozlovsky, Vladimir (June 13, 2016). Советник с большой дороги [Adviser on the big road]. The New Times (in Russian). Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  18. ^ Unger, Craig (July 13, 2017). "Trump's Russian Laundromat". The New Republic. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  19. ^ Bambury, Brent (May 4, 2018). "Active Measures director says Trump's Russian mob ties are his biggest legal vulnerability". CBC Radio. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  20. ^ O'Brien, Timothy L. (June 21, 2017). "Trump, Russia and a Shadowy Business Partnership". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Hettena, Seth (September 2, 2017). "Felix Sater's Wall Street Days". Trump/Russia. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  22. ^ Rice, Andrew (August 3, 2017). "The Original Russia Connection". New York. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Joshua Bernstein vs. Bayrock Group LLC: Felix H. Sater" (deposition). New York Southern District Court. March 9, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  24. ^ a b "BrokerCheck: Felix Henry Sater". FINRA. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c Mosk, Matthew; Ross, Brian (December 10, 2015). "Memory Lapse? Trump Seeks Distance From 'Advisor' With Past Ties to Mafia". ABC News. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  26. ^ Gitlin, Todd (June 21, 2016). "The Donald Trump Story You're Not Hearing About". BillMoyers.com. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  27. ^ a b Daly, Michael; Weiss, Michael (February 24, 2017). "Felix Sater: The Crook Behind the Trump-Russia 'Peace' Plan". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  28. ^ "Let's Talk Felix Sater". YouTube. Event occurs at 117m55s. I was involved in a stock fraud. There was a reason why that happened. Um, because the U.S. government decided to throw me in jail over a barfight, um, because they wanted to get my father to cooperate with them. Most people don't know that story. I think nobody knows that story. It's maybe the first time that I'm telling anyone. Um, I got into a barfight. The guy tried to drop the charges. And the U.S. government showed up at my father's doorstep and said, "If you don't cooperate with us, we're going to send him to jail." And they did. And he didn't. And they did. And they took my license away. And I was angry that my life was taken away, and I was used. And that's when I went into the stock fraud thing. And I had a small child, a recently-born child. And no money for rent. And, you know, I did what I did. Not justifying it. I'm just stating a fact of what happened.
  29. ^ Sonne, Paul; Ballhaus, Rebecca; Berzon, Alexandra; Hodge, Nathan (September 1, 2017). "In Moscow Luxury-Tower Plan, Donald Trump Paired With Developer for Russia's Working Class". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  30. ^ Sazonov, Alexander; Voreacos, David; Reznik, Irina (September 1, 2017). "Trump's Would-Be Moscow Partner Faces Homebuyers' Ire". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Silverman, Gary (August 14, 2016). "US election: Trump's Russian riddle". Financial Times. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  32. ^ "Project Portfolio". Felix Sater. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  33. ^ "Felix Sater Profile". Behance.Net. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  34. ^ "Felix Sater: The Trump SoHo and Other Projects". Felixsater.net. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  35. ^ Twohey, Megan; Shane, Scott (February 19, 2017). "A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  36. ^ "Russia can't rent Crimea from Russia, FM Lavrov says". Pravda.ru. February 20, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  37. ^ O'Brien, Timothy L. (August 29, 2017). "Felix Sater Is a Lean, Mean Trump-Russia Machine". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  38. ^ Dreyfuss, Bob (August 30, 2017). "Russiagate's Second Smoking Gun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  39. ^ Cesca, Bob (June 23, 2017). "Who is Felix Sater? Meet the shady Russian investor who may be a centerpiece of the investigation". Salon. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  40. ^ O'Brien, Timothy L. (November 22, 2017). "Trumps Can Never Really Check Out of SoHo Hotel". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  41. ^ "On MSNBC Steven Harper Talks About the Moscow Tower Deal That 'Will Get Donald Elected'". BillMoyers.com. September 12, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  42. ^ a b c Tanfani, Joseph; Cloud, David S. (March 2, 2017). "Trump business associate led double life as FBI informant – and more, he says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  43. ^ a b Cormier, Anthony; Leopold, Jason (March 12, 2018). "How A Player In The Trump–Russia Scandal Led A Double Life As An American Spy". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  44. ^ Lovelace, Ryan (February 12, 2015). "Loretta Lynch Responds to Reporting on Allegations She Slighted Victims' Rights". National Review. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  45. ^ Horwitz, Jeff (March 21, 2016). "Judge asks US to defend secrecy of Trump associate's history". San Diego Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  46. ^ "Trump Crony Felix Sater Now Cooperating in New York in Kazakh/BTA Bank Trial". Daily Kos. January 24, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  47. ^ Neate, Rupert (February 16, 2012). "Arrest warrant for Kazakh billionaire accused of one of world's biggest frauds". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  48. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (December 1, 2020). "Former Trump Associate Felix Sater Must Face Money Laundering Suit". HuffPost. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  49. ^ "FinCEN Files: Trump Associate Felix Sater's $100 Million In "Suspicious" Transactions". BuzzFeed News. October 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  50. ^ Raju, ManU; Herb, Jeremy (December 14, 2017). "House intel heading to NY for two key interviews, prompting grumbling from Democrats". CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  51. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (December 14, 2017). "House interview with longtime Trump aide fuels tension on intelligence panel". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  52. ^ Sater, Felix (December 14, 2017). "Felix Sater House Intelligence Committee Statement December 2017". House Intelligence Committee. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  53. ^ Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier (October 19, 2020). "Suspicious Activity: Inside the FinCEN File". BuzzFeed News (Podcast). BuzzFeed News. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  54. ^ Karoun Demirjian (July 9, 2019). "After hours of testimony, House panel presses ex-Trump partner for more detail on Moscow project". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  55. ^ Frazin, Rachel (May 16, 2019). "Trump associate gave US government Osama bin Laden's phone number, judge says". The Hill. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  56. ^ Bertr, Natasha (May 16, 2019). "Judge confirms Trump associate gave feds Osama bin Laden's number". Politico. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  57. ^ Powell, Bill (June 7, 2018). "Donald Trump Associate Felix Sater Is Linked to the Mob and the CIA—What's His Role in the Russia Investigation?". Newsweek. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  58. ^ Leopold, Jason; Cormier, Anthony (April 13, 2018). "Former Russian Spy Worked On Trump Moscow Deal While Trump Was Running For President". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  59. ^ Dreyfuss, Bob (September 8, 2017). "Who Is Felix Sater, and Why Is Donald Trump So Afraid of Him?". The Nation. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  60. ^ Horwitz, Jeff (December 4, 2015). "Trump picked stock fraud felon as senior adviser". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  61. ^ McIntire, Mike; Twohey, Megan; Mazzetti, Mark (November 29, 2018). "How a Lawyer, a Felon and a Russian General Chased a Moscow Trump Tower Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  62. ^ Ward, Alex (December 6, 2018). "Felix Sater, the spy, criminal, and mafia-linked executive tied to Trump Tower Moscow, explained". Vox. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  63. ^ Ferguson, Sarah; McGregor, Jeanavive; Carter, Lucy (June 4, 2018). "Felix Sater: the business partner Donald Trump wants nothing to do with". ABC News. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  64. ^ Prokop, Andrew (August 28, 2017). "A Trump associate bragged that a business deal with Putin could "get Donald elected"". Vox. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  65. ^ "Trump associate Felix Sater's testimony postponed to March 27". Reuters. March 8, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  66. ^ Chalfant, Morgan (March 25, 2019). "House Intel panel postpones interview with Felix Sater to focus on Mueller findings". The Hill. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  67. ^ "Russia-Born Executive to Testify About Trump Moscow Project". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 21, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  68. ^ Wylie, Melissa (May 12, 2017). "Why grocers scooped up Viki's Granola". American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  69. ^ Laws, Nancy (January 20, 2016). "5 Questions with Woman of Influence, Viki's Granola's Viki Sater". Project Eve. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  70. ^ Rabbi Paltiel. "Dinner 2010: Felix Sater". Vimeo. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  71. ^ Felix Sater (August 8, 2014). "Felix Sater – Man Of The Year: Chabad of Port Washington". YouTube. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
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