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Felix Sater

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 144REL144 (talk | contribs) at 17:18, 26 March 2018 (Correcting false information, as documented by investigative reporter Grant Stern, based upon trial record of Sater's criminal prosecution). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Felix Sater
Born
Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky[1][2]

(1966-03-02) March 2, 1966 (age 58)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR
Other names
EducationPace University
OccupationReal estate developer
Years active1989–present
SpouseViktoria Sater
Websitewww.felixsater.com

Felix Henry Sater (born Felix Mikhailovich Sheferovsky; Template:Lang-ru; March 2, 1966) is an American real estate developer and former managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, a real estate conglomerate based out of New York City, New York. Sater has been an advisor to many corporations, including The Trump Organization[6], 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,[7][8] and became an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal prosecutors, assisting with organized crime investigations. In 2017, Sater agreed to cooperate with investigators into international money laundering schemes.[9]

Early life and family

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 immigrated 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.[4] 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).[10] According to the FBI, Mikhail Sheferovsky was an underboss for Russian Mafia "boss of bosses" Semion Mogilevich and convicted of extorting money from local restaurants, grocery stores, and a medical clinic.[11]

Business and advisory career

After attending Pace University, Sater started working as a stockbroker for Bear Stearns on Wall Street.[12] A few years later, Sater changed paths to real estate, and eventually became a senior advisor for several corporations and industries in fields including real estate, hospitality, investing, and oil.

Sater 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.

In January 2008, Sater joined the Russian real estate company Mirax Group as a senior advisor to Sergei Polonsky, and stayed with the company through the integration of Mirax into the holding company Potok in 2011. In 2009, he became a managing director at Global Habitat Solutions, a New York City housing, energy, and infrastructure conglomerate. Since September 2011, Sater has been a senior advisor at TxOil, a Turkmenistan-based oil company.

Work with the Bayrock Group

Main article: Bayrock Group

Sater joined Bayrock Group 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.[13]

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[14]

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.

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

Other projects

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.[15][16]

In addition to real estate development endeavors, Sater also has started businesses in the fields of philanthropy, investment, retail, and energy.[17]

In late January 2017, Sater met with Ukrainian politician Andrey Artemenko and Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael D. 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. Sater gave Cohen a written proposal in a sealed envelope that was delivered to then-National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn in early February.[18] On 20 February 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected Russia "leasing" Crimea from Ukraine claiming "we cannot rent from ourselves".[19]

Criminal convictions and federal cooperation

Felix Sater has been described as a career criminal due to his links to organized crime.[20] 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 margarita 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 Edgecombe Correctional Facility before being paroled.[21][4][22] Although Sater said during his interview on Chris Hayes' show All In on MSNBC on March 16, 2018 that it was a drunken bar fight and that the victim had grabbed a bottle and so Sater grabbed a margarita glass, the record of the criminal trial showed that Sater testified that he was not drunk. [23] After stabbing the victim Stephen Friedman in the face, Sater then started to argue with Friedman's friend Robert Dreyer, calling him a "k*ke," and then said said, "your mother s*cks my d*ck. I f**ked your sister," whereupon he picked up another piece of broken glass and started to go after Dreyer. As he lunged at Dreyer, Sater said, "I am going to kill you, mother****er. You fa*got. Your mother's a wh*re. Some black n**ger f***ed your mother." [24] Contrary to what he told Chris Hayes on the All In broadcast, the record of Sater's criminal prosecution showed that the victim did not pick up a beer bottle, but instead that Sater spontaneously attacked the victim because Sater had his eyes on a woman that the victim had been chatting with. [25] In 1998, Sater was convicted of fraud in connection to a $40 million penny stock pump and dump scheme conducted by the Russian Mafia[26][27] involving his company White Rock Partners. In return for a guilty plea, Sater agreed to assist the FBI and federal prosecutors as an informant in organized crime. In 2009, he was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine and served no prison time. As a result of his assistance, Sater's court records were sealed for 10 years by Loretta Lynch, then the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Lynch's decision to seal his records was discussed at her 2015 Congressional confirmation hearings to become attorney general; 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."[28][29][30][31]

Articles about Russia's potential interference with the 2016 election of Donald Trump report that Felix Sater played a role in trying to assist Russia.[32] According to the New York Times and other sources, Felix Sater wrote and sent to his Russian contact(s) (probably Dmitry Peskov, Putin's personal assistant) an email stating, "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected" and "If he says it we own this election."[33] In July 2017, 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.[9]

Personal life

Sater resides in Port Washington, New York with his wife Viktoria[5][34] who owns a company called Viktoria's Gourmet Foods which specializes in granola (Viki’s Granola). [35] Together they have 3 daughters: Alexandra, Gabrielle, and Jennifer. Gabrielle is currently a student at Syracuse University where both her sisters also attended.[36] Felix Sater is an active member of the Chabad of Port Washington and was named their Man of the Year in 2010 and 2014.[37][38] In November 2017, Sater put his home in Sands Point, NY on the market for $2.5 million.[39]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Babushkin, Yevgeny (15 November 2016). "Феликс Сатер: Как я советовал Трампу и охотился на Бен Ладена". snob.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 21 August 2017. Бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Шеферовский — человек редкой судьбы. (Former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Sheferovsky, is a man of rare fate.)
  2. ^ Bratersky, Alexander (30 March 2017). Сенат США сделал устный доклад о России [US Senate held hearing on Russia]. Gazeta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 21 August 2017. Среди персон, попавших в поле зрения сенаторов, — бывший москвич Феликс Сатер, урожденный Феликс Шерефовский. (Among the people the senators have in their sites is the former Muscovite Felix Sater, born Felix Sherefovsky (sic).)
  3. ^ Kozlovasky, Vladimir (17 July 2017). "Феликс Сейтер: жизнь между Трампом, ФБР и русской мафией" [Felix Sater: Lfe among Trump, the FBI and the Russian mafia]. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b c 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.
  5. ^ a b c d e Hall, Kevin (28 July 2017). "Meet the ex-con who ties himself to Trump". McClatchy. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  6. ^ Matt Apuzzo and Maggie Haberman (28 August 2017). "Felix Sater, Trump Associate, Boasted That Moscow Business Deal 'Will Get Donald Elected'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump". Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Trump, the Russian Lawyer and the Pop Star: President's Links to Azerbaijan Oligarch Come Under Scrutiny". Newsweek. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  9. ^ a b Burgis, Tom (6 July 2017). "Russia-born dealmaker linked to Trump assists laundering probe". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  10. ^ Kozlovsky, Vladimir (13 June 2016). Советник с большой дороги [Adviser on the big road]. The New Times. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Trump's Russian Laundromat". The New Republic. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  12. ^ Idov, Michael. "Trump Soho Is Not an Oxymoron", New York Magazine, New York, 30 March 2008. Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
  13. ^ Silverman, Gary (14 August 2016). "US election: Trump's Russian riddle". Financial Times.
  14. ^ Mosk, Matthew and Ross, Brian. "Memory Lapse? Trump Seeks Distance From 'Advisor' With Past Ties to Mafia", ABC News, New York, 10 December 2015. Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Felix Sater Project Portfolio", Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Felix Sater - Behance.Net Profile", Retrieved on 13 March 2016.
  17. ^ "Felix Sater - The Trump SoHo and Other Projects: Felixsater.net", Retrieved on 12 March 2016.
  18. ^ Twohey, Megan; Shane, Scott (19 February 2017). "A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Russia can't rent Crimea from Russia, FM Lavrov says, Pravda.Ru (20 February 2017)
  20. ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-29/felix-sater-is-a-lean-mean-trump-russia-machine, https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/russiagates-second-smoking-gun-w500294, https://www.salon.com/2017/06/23/who-is-felix-sater-meet-the-shady-russian-investor-who-may-be-a-centerpiece-of-the-investigation/ https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-22/trumps-ditch-soho-hotel-but-not-robert-mueller, http://billmoyers.com/story/msnbc-steven-harper-talks-moscow-tower-deal-will-get-donald-elected/
  21. ^ Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom (May 17, 2016). "Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ "Felix Sater: The Crook Behind the Trump-Russia 'Peace' Plan". The Daily Beast. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  23. ^ https://thesternfacts.com/busted-felix-sater-lied-to-msnbcs-chris-hayes-about-his-felony-conviction-ac78dee652e7
  24. ^ https://thesternfacts.com/busted-felix-sater-lied-to-msnbcs-chris-hayes-about-his-felony-conviction-ac78dee652e7
  25. ^ https://thesternfacts.com/busted-felix-sater-lied-to-msnbcs-chris-hayes-about-his-felony-conviction-ac78dee652e7
  26. ^ "Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump". Washington Post. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Trump, the Russian Lawyer and the Pop Star: President's Links to Azerbaijan Oligarch Come Under Scrutiny". Newsweek. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ Kennedy, Marlene. "Convictions Won't Keep Civil RICO Suit Alive" Archived 2016-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, Courthouse News Service, New York City, 24 March 2014. Retrieved on 14 March 2016.
  30. ^ Horwitz, Jeff (March 21, 2016). "Judge asks US to defend secrecy of Trump associate's history". San Diego Tribune. Associated Press.
  31. ^ Helderman, Rosalind S.; Hamburger, Tom (May 17, 2016). "Former Mafia-linked figure describes association with Trump". Washington Post.
  32. ^ http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/08/quote-of-the-day-i-will-get-putin-on-this-program-and-we-will-get-donald-elected/, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/politics/trump-tower-putin-felix-sater.html
  33. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/politics/trump-tower-putin-felix-sater.html, https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/08/28/our-boy-can-become-president-and-can-engineer-trump-ally-said-russia-deal/PXje678sZBqmlP1MzJMHZJ/story.html, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/08/trump-tower-moscow-russia-presidential-campaign
  34. ^ Grytsenko, Oksana (20 February 2017). "Anger in Ukraine as opposition MP sneaks peace plan into White House". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  35. ^ https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/05/why-grocers-scooped-up-vikis-granola.html?page=all, https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2016/01/20/meet-viki-sater-president-of-viktorias-gourmet.html, http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/appetizers/article91920697.html
  36. ^ https://projecteve.com/5-questions-with-woman-of-influence-vikis-granolas-viki-sater/, https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2016/01/20/meet-viki-sater-president-of-viktorias-gourmet.html, https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/05/why-grocers-scooped-up-vikis-granola.html?page=all
  37. ^ "Dinner 2010: Felix Sater". Retrieved on 29 February 2016. Archived 2 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ "Felix Sater - Man Of The Year: Chabad of Port Washington". Retrieved on 29 February 2016.
  39. ^ "Trump Associate Felix Sater Selling His $2.5M Long Island Manse". realtor.com News. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
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