Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Has Taken Nearly $10,000 in Campaign

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has taken nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from the employees and agents of a Ukranian warlord who was sued – and also investigated by the FBI – for allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars and laundering it in the United States – and billions of dollars globally – in a shell company, loan fraud, real estate purchasing scheme.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has received nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from Kolomoisky agents and employees:

• Between 2017 and 2019, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell received $8,800 from Kolomoisky agents and employees, and another $500 contribution from an attorney whose firm lobbied for a company owned by Kolomoisky and tied to Robert Powell.

Contributor Employer Date Amount Robert Powell Georgian American 9/28/17 $2,700 Alloys, Inc. Uriel (Uri) Laber Felman Trading 12/31/17, 7/1/18, and $2,500 8/27/18 Thad Florence Optima Specialty Steel 9/27/17 $1,500 Frank Rodriguez Corporate Creations 9/29/17 and 6/18/19 $2,000 Daniela Rost Georgian American 8/22/17 $100 Alloys, Inc. TOTAL: $8,800

Editor’s Note: Mucarsel-Powell also received another $1,000 contribution from Thad Florence in September, 2019; however, for this contribution, Florence listed his employer as Lee Hecht Harrison, and not Optima Specialty Steel.

Ihor Kolomoisky has been implicated in contract killings, corporate intimidation and strong- arm tactics, and national extremism movements in Ukraine; additionally he has a reputation of being dangerous, being willing to “get his hands dirty,” and as being “one of the first oligarchs who began to act like a warlord:”

• Kolomoisky has been implicated in the contract killing of a Ukrainian lawyer, and later, in the murder of gang members who carried out the crime. “Kolomoisky has been dogged by eye-popping allegations, including that he ordered the killing of a Ukrainian lawyer, and, subsequently, the killing of gang members involved in the effort. Those allegations came in court proceedings in the U.K. Kolomoisky denied the allegations, and the litigation was ultimately settled out of court.” (Betsy Swan, “Shady Oligarch’s Firm Paid Dem Candidate’s Husband $700,00,” The Daily Beast, 7/16/18)

“Kolomoisky has been accused of contract killings and embezzlement in the past. Yet, in 2018 when Mucarsel-Powell was running for her seat, she did not see her husband’s work as relevant to her campaign.” (Chrissy Clark, “Ukrainian Oligarch Paid $700,000 to the Husband of a House Judiciary Committee Democrat,” The Federalist, 12/16/19)

• In Privatbank’s suit against Kolomoisky and his business partner, the bank alleged that the two oligarchs are known regionally as “The Raiders,” and maintain a “quasi-military force,” or “army of thugs,” to “effect violent seizures of their opponents’ assets.” These forces—armed with baseball bats, gas, rubber pistols, iron bars, and chainsaws—according to the suit, have been used by Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov as a component of “strong- arm tactics” to advance their business interests.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #8, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• Kolomoisky also reportedly kept a shark tank in his office in Dnipro, which he used to intimidate visitors. “Ihor Kolomoisky has vast stakes in media, aviation and finance. He has a television channel, and had a shark tank in his office in Dnipro which he allegedly used to intimidate visitors.” (Aisha Kehoe Down, “President’s Oligarch Friend Suspected of Theft Returns to Ukraine,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 5/20/19)

• In 2007, Kolomoisky—who was annoyed by a business that occupied a building next to him in Kiev—filled the company’s office lobby with coffins, and had men dressed in black suits pass out leaflets promoting a funeral company whose name abbreviated in Ukrainian was the same as the business. “Back in 2007, Kolomoisky turned to black humor in order to get rid of annoying neighbors–Russian oil company TNK-BP – which had an office next to him in the Millennium office building in Kyiv. One day in April, office workers were shocked to see an exhibition of expensive coffins in the Millennium’s lobby. Men in black suits were distributing leaflets promoting a funeral company whose abbreviation in Ukrainian was TNK-BP. A few months after that incident, TNK-BP moved to another office.” (Oksana Grytsenko, Alyona Zhuk, and Oleg Sukhov, “Ihor Kolomoisky: Still Throwing His Weight Around,” Kyiv Post, 10/28/16)

• Ihor Kolomoisky was also described as “super-dangerous,” someone who was “willing to get his hands dirty,” and as “one of the first oligarchs who began to act like a warlord” by an analyst that worked at the U.S. embassy in Kiev. Additionally, Kolomoisky has been identified as having ties to the ultra-far-right Azov Battalion, which the State Department has called a “nationalist hate group,” and human rights workers believe may be a haven for neo-Nazis. “The FBI is investigating Ihor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian oligarch who has sparred with the country’s current president, according to three people briefed on the probe. The investigators are scrutinizing potential financial crimes, including money laundering, according to the sources, who say the probe is wide-ranging and has been under way for quite some time. Kolomoisky has not been charged with any crime, and a lawyer representing him said he denies any wrongdoing. Jonathan Brunson, who worked at the U.S. embassy in Kiev and was senior analyst on Ukraine for the Crisis Group, took a different view. ‘I think Kolomoisky is super-dangerous,’ he said. ‘He is probably one of the most dangerous oligarchs because he’s one of the ones who’s willing to get his hands dirty.’ Brunson pointed to Kolomoisky’s role in funding the ultra-far-right Azov battalion, a group of Ukrainian fighters alleged to have ties to American white supremacists, per RFE/RL; the State Department has called its political wing a ‘nationalist hate group,’ and human rights workers say it may be a haven for neo-Nazis. ‘He was one of the first oligarchs who began to act like a warlord,’ Brunson said.” (Betsy Woodruff, “Billionaire Ukrainian Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky Under Investigation by FBI,” The Daily Beast, 4/7/19)

• Edward Chow, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), stated that “when you work for a guy like that [KOLOMOISKY], you know what you’re dealing with,” and that “there should be no illusion” about the origin of Kolomoisky’s wealth, “because everyone knows” how Kolomoisky makes money. “Edward Chow, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said someone in Powell’s position would have known who he was working for. ‘When you work for a guy like that, you know what you’re dealing with,’ Chow told The Daily Beast. ‘There should be no illusion of what you’re dealing with, even if the business you have to conduct for him in the United States is completely clean. You know where the wealth came from. There should be no reason not to know, because everyone knows.’”(Betsy Swan, “Shady Oligarch’s Firm Paid Dem Candidate’s Husband $700,00,” The Daily Beast, 7/16/18)

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has taken nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from the employees and agents of a Ukrainian warlord who is being sued—and also investigated by the FBI—for stealing and laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States—and billions of dollars globally—in a shell company, loan fraud, real estate purchasing scheme:

• Kolomoisky is being sued for “large-scale and coordinated fraud,” costing billions. “The allegations land amid a string of lawsuits filed in various countries scrutinizing Privatbank's transactions while billionaire oligarchs Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov were in control. Ukraine's central bank said last year that Privatbank, under Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov, was the victim of ‘large-scale and coordinated fraud,’ suffering more than $5 billion in losses over a decade.” (Karl Barker, “Billionaire Ukrainian oligarchs sued in Delaware,” the Delaware News Journal, 5/29/2019)

• The Delaware lawsuit claims he laundered hundreds of millions of dollars into real estate through anonymously owned companies in Delaware. “Privatbank is suing its former owners in Delaware Chancery Court with claims they "brazenly" laundered hundreds of millions of dollars into real estate, mostly in Cleveland, using more than a dozen anonymously owned Delaware companies.” (Karl Barker, “Billionaire Ukrainian oligarchs sued in Delaware,” the Delaware News Journal, 5/29/2019)

• The FBI is investigating Ihor Kolomoisky for money laundering. “The FBI is reportedly investigating Ukrainian business tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky for financial crimes, including money laundering, as part of a wide-ranging probe -- but news of the inquiry has raised eyebrows given Ukraine's presidential vote is fewer than two weeks away and Kolomoisky is tied to the leading candidate.” (Barnini Chakraborty, “FBI investigating Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoisky over alleged financial crimes: reports,” Fox News, 4/8/2019)

Addendum:

Contributions –

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has taken nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from the employees and agents of Kolomoisky:

• In September, 2017, Robert Powell contributed $2,700 to Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign, listing his employer as Georgian American Alloys, Inc.

(Federal Election Commission, “Debbie for Congress: Itemized Receipts: Powell, Robert,” FEC.gov, 9/28/17)

• Between December, 2017 and August, 2018, Uriel Laber contributed $2,500 to Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign, and lists his employer as Felman Trading.

(Federal Election Commission, “Debbie for Congress: Individual Contributions: Uri Laber, FEC.gov, 12/31/17, 7/1/18, and 8/17/28)

• Uriel Laber is one of Kolomoisky’s American agents, is named in Privatbank’s civil suit, and is implicated in not only Kolomoisky’s fraud and money laundering scheme, but in racketeering and civil conspiracy as well.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #1, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #5-6, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• According to the Privatbank suit, Laber directly or indirectly owned Georgian American Alloys, Inc., (and its subsidiaries CC Metals and Alloys, LLC, Felman Production, LLC, and Felman Trading, Inc.) with Kolomoisky, and has ties to Optima Acquisitions, Inc., Optima Specialty Steel, Inc., and Niagara LaSalle Corp. Robert Powell acted as the General Counsel or Chief General Counsel for all of these businesses.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #13-14, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #12-13, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• In September, 2017, Thad Florence, who listed his employer as Optima Specialty Steel, contributed $1,500 to Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Optima Specialty Steel is owned by Kolomoisky, managed or administered by his agent, Uriel Laber, and Robert Powell acted as the company’s General Counsel.

(Federal Election Commission, “Debbie for Congress: Itemized Receipts: Florence, Thad,” FEC.gov, 9/27/17)

o In addition to Florence’s contribution, Mucarsel-Powell also received a $100 contribution from Daniela Rost; Georgian American Alloys Associate General Counsel.

(Federal Election Commission. “Act Blue: Schedule A: Itemized Receipts: Rost, Daniela,” FEC.gov, 8/22/17)

• In both September, 2017 and June, 2019, Frank Rodriguez contributed $1,000 to Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign, for a total of $2,000.

(Federal Election Commission, “Debbie for Congress: Itemized Receipts: Rodriguez, Frank,” FEC.gov, 9/27/17 and 6/18/19)

• Rodriguez’s employer is listed as Corporate Creations. Corporate Creations’ registered agent is Corporate Creations Network, which is the registered agent of Felman Trading, Inc., Georgian American Alloys, Inc., Optima Acquisitions, LLC, and, circularly, Corporate Creations.

(State of Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations, “Entity Search: Corporate Creations,” Delaware.gov, accessed 1/31/20)

(State of Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations, “Entity Search: Felman Trading,” Delaware.gov, accessed 1/31/20)

(State of Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations, “Entity Search: Georgian American Alloys,” Delaware.gov, accessed 1/31/20)

(State of Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations, “Entity Search: Optima Acquisitions, LLC,” Delaware.gov, accessed 1/31/20)

(State of Delaware, Department of State, Division of Corporations, “Entity Search: Corporate Creations Network,” Delaware.gov, accessed 1/31/20)

o In Privatbank’s civil suit against Kolomoisky, the bank also identified Corporate Creations Network as the registered agent for many of Kolomoisky’s companies, including Optima Acquisitions, LLC and Georgian American Alloys, Inc.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #19, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

FBI Investigation & Lawsuit –

Kolomoisky Shell Company, Loan Fraud, Real Estate Purchasing Scheme

• Ihor Kolomoisky—a Ukrainian oligarch—founded PrivatBank in the early 1990s; the institution grew to financially serve half of Ukraine. “Ihor Kolomoisky has vast stakes in media, aviation and finance. He has a television channel, and had a shark tank in his office in Dnipro which he allegedly used to intimidate visitors. And, most importantly, he founded PrivatBank in the 1990s--a financial institution which grew to serve half of Ukraine.” (Aisha Kehoe Down, “President’s Oligarch Friend Suspected of Theft Returns to Ukraine,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 5/20/19)

Editor’s Note: Kolomoisky’s first name appears in documents and articles interchangeably as “Ihor” and “Igor.”

• Ihor Kolomoisky and his partner—Gennadiy Bogolyubov—have been accused of having majority control of Privatbank from at least 2006 through December, 2016 by Privatbank in a civil suit.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #3, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• In 2016, Privatbank was nationalized by the Ukrainian government after allegations of years of fraud and being declared insolvent. “PrivatBank was nationalized in 2016 after allegations of years of fraud.” (Aisha Kehoe Down, “President’s Oligarch Friend Suspected of Theft Returns to Ukraine,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 5/20/19)

“The dispute centers on a bank called Privatbank that was nationalized in 2016. It was the country’s largest commercial bank but became state-owned after being declared insolvent. The government backed the nationalization — which was seen as vital to protect its 20 million customers and to preserve Ukraine’s already fragile financial stability.” (Holly Ellyatt, “A Bank Scandal, An Oligarch and the IMF: Ukraine’s President Has A Lot to Deal with Right Now,” CNBC, 9/20/19)

• Before regulators took control, Kolomoisky moved over $5.5 billion dollars out of the country using the bank’s branch in Cyprus. “Before regulators took over, however, Kolomoisky managed to move $5.5 billion out of the country using the bank’s branch in Cyprus.” (Aisha Kehoe Down, “President’s Oligarch Friend Suspected of Theft Returns to Ukraine,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 5/20/19)

• A stress test conducted during the nationalization process noted “imprudent lending policies,” and Ukraine’s central bank identified that 97% of Privatbank’s corporate loans had gone to “‘related parties’ of the main shareholders—Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov.” “A stress test of Privatbank had noted ‘imprudent lending policies’ and Ukraine’s central bank initially said that 97% of its corporate loans had gone to ‘related parties’ of the main shareholders — Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov. An assessment that both disputed.” (Holly Ellyatt, “A Bank Scandal, An Oligarch and the IMF: Ukraine’s President Has A Lot to Deal with Right Now,” CNBC, 9/20/19)

• In 2018, Ukraine’s central bank released findings of an investigation conducted by Kroll, which found that prior to nationalization, “Privatbank had been subjected to ‘a large-scale and coordinated fraud over at least a 10-year period ending in December 2016.” “In early 2018, the central bank released the findings of an investigation by corporate investigations consultancy Kroll that said that, prior to nationalization, Privatbank had been subjected to ‘a large-scale and coordinated fraud over at least a 10-year period ending in December 2016.’” (Holly Ellyatt, “A Bank Scandal, An Oligarch and the IMF: Ukraine’s President Has A Lot to Deal with Right Now,” CNBC, 9/20/19)

Editor’s Note: Kroll, a division of Duff and Phelps, is a risk management firm that earned the moniker “Wall Street’s private eye” in the 1980s.

• In March, 2018, Valeria Hontareva, the former Chairwoman of Ukraine’s national bank, stated that “Large-scale coordinated fraudulent actions” of the bank shareholders and management “caused a loss to the state of at least $5.5 billion,” which amounted to 33% of the population’s deposits and 40% of Ukraine’s monetary base. “‘Large-scale coordinated fraudulent actions of the bank shareholders and management caused a loss to the state of at least $5.5 billion,’ said Valeria Hontareva, the former chairwoman of Ukraine’s national bank, in March 2018. ‘This is 33 percent of the population’s deposits … [and] 40 percent of our country’s monetary base.’” (Aisha Kehoe Down, “President’s Oligarch Friend Suspected of Theft Returns to Ukraine,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 5/20/19)

• In May, 2019, Privatbank sued Ihor Kolomoisky, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, their three American agents—Mordechai Korf, Chaim Schochet, and Uriel Laber—and 20 of Kolomoisky’s and Bogolyubov’s companies based in the United States.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #1, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

Editor’s Note: Privatbank also has sued Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov in England, and has stated that they are “pursuing different claims in different jurisdictions in respect of different frauds and losses” the bank has suffered. Please see State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #3-4, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19, and English proceedings, Claim No. BL-2017-000665.

• In the suit, Privatbank alleged Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov stole and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars of the bank’s money through a shell company, loan fraud, real estate purchasing scheme, and used Privatbank as “their own personal piggy bank.”

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #2, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #3, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

o Privatbank also noted that—as of April 7, 2019—the FBI was investigating Kolomoisky for financial crimes, including money laundering into the United States.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #3, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• Privatbank also claimed that Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov utilized a secret business unit within the bank to conceal the fraudulent and illegitimate loans to corporate entities that they or their affiliates owned, and then used this unit to launder the money to multiple Delaware limited liability companies (LLCs) or corporations that they also owned in “a sophisticated money laundering process.”

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #3, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #4, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• Privatbank further alleged that the laundered monies in the United States were used to acquire and support various businesses and commercial real estate ventures across the country—all “for the benefit and under the control” of Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #4, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• Privatbank claimed that in Delaware, Ohio—and throughout the United States—a “network of co-conspirators and affiliated companies” knowingly assisted Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov in laundering and misappropriating the bank’s money across the country.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #5, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• The suit states that the scheme was so extensive and pervasive that Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov became the largest commercial real estate holders in Cleveland, Ohio and also allowed them to acquire steel and alloy production facilities in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Page #5, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• In addition to Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov, Privatbank implicated Kolomoisky’s and Bogolyubov’s American agents—Mordechai Korf, Uriel Laber, and Chaim Schochet—in the scheme, and in racketeering and civil conspiracy.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Verified Complaint,” Pages #5-6, Case No. 2019-0377, 5/21/19)

• As of September 15, 2020, Privatbank’s suit against Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov is listed as “active” in Delaware Chancery Court records, and on January 29, 2020—the date of the most recent filing in the case—Privatbank petitioned for a stay on the case to be lifted and a briefing schedule to be put in place by the court.

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Docket Report Results: 2019-0377-Joint Stock Company vs. Igor Valeryevich Kolomoisky,” Delaware CourtConnect.gov, accessed 9/15/20)

(State of Delaware, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, “Docket Report Results: 2019-0377-Joint Stock Company vs. Igor Valeryevich Kolomoisky,” File and Serve Express, 1/29/20)