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Closer, Upon Further Review

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Closer, Upon Further Review FLORIDA’S BEST NEWSPAPER tampabay.com **** Sunday, October 20, 2019 | $2 At long A TAMPA BAY TIMES INVESTIGATION last, a Scientology came to downtown Clearwater in 1975 with plans to take over the city. happy Its campus slowly grew, with landing members buying property around it. 2016 Anxious moments played right up to the CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY face-to-face reunion PARISHIONER-MANAGED COMPANY of an Iranian family. GOVERNMENT-OWNED FORT HARRISON HOTEL BY DIVYA KUMAR Times Staff Writer FLAG BUILDING CHRIS URSO | Times TAMPA — Javad Akbar- Two photos show Igor Fruman pour wanted to remember the hugging Florida Gov.-elect Ron moment, so he took his cell- DeSantis, right, at an election phone out of his pocket and night watch party in 2018. started filming. “Damineh, how are you feel- ing?” he asked his wife. “I can’t wait anymore,” 39-year-old Damineh Oveisi Closer, replied, beaming. “I can hear my heart beating.” It was 5:45 p.m. on a Satur- day in October, and they had just arrived at Tampa International upon Airport. They stood together outside of Terminal F with a bouquet of pink and red roses and two balloons. The couple’s 10-year-old daughter, Leyana, further was there, too, with a sign she had made for the occasion. * “Welcome to the U.S.A., • Mamani and Babi!” it said. In August, the Tampa Bay review Times chronicled Oveisi’s months-long fight to get travel Indicted Giuliani visas for her parents, Maryam Rastkhiz and Lotfollah Oveisi. associates were Oveisi, a U.S. citizen born in known to DeSantis, Iran, wanted her parents to see the life she had built for herself he now concedes. in Florida, where she worked as a lab technician, owned a BY STEVE CONTORNO home and was raising an Ira- Times Political Editor nian-American daughter. But The photographs show Ron when the Trump administration DeSantis leaning in to hug a banned immigrants from seven Three years ago, the church and its followers heavyset, middle-aged man amid countries, including Iran, her a sea of onlookers. hopes were crushed. began acquiring retail property at an DeSantis then turns to Oveisi was even more dev- another man, who wraps his astated when she learned her unprecedented rate. Their footprint doubled. arms around the newly elected mother had leukemia and governor at his victory celebra- needed a treatment that wasn’t tion in Orlando. available in Iran. The two men embraced by Oveisi made a last-ditch NOW DeSantis in these previously effort to bring her parents to the CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY unpublished pictures? Igor Fru- United States in March, arguing man and Lev Parnas, the Soviet- that her mom’s medical emer- PARISHIONER-MANAGED COMPANY born businessmen and Rudy gency qualified for a waiver to Giuliani associates indicted on GOVERNMENT-OWNED the travel ban. She spent the next charges of interfering in U.S. elec- . See VISA, 14A FORT HARRISON HOTEL tions. Obscure until this month, Fruman and Parnas have become FLAG BUILDING major figures in the drama behind the drive to impeach Pres- ident Donald Trump. When it was first learned the duo had contributed $50,000 to DeSantis’ campaign last year, the governor’s spokeswoman described Fruman and Parnas as donors whom DeSantis didn’t know well — or at all. The saga may have faded with- out a word from DeSantis, just like other times that questions LUIS SANTANA | Times about his fundraising threatened Damineh Oveisi greets her his political ascent. mother, Maryam Rastkhiz, at His spokeswoman, Helen Agu- Tampa International Airport. irre Ferré, first asserted Oct. 10 that Fruman and Parnas “may” have attended GOP events dur- ing the 2018 elections, but that LOCAL DeSantis “does not have a rela- Nasty Nestor tionship with these individuals.” * • Four days later, videos and On its way to the Panhandle, the photos of the men huddled tropical storm delivered wind, rain together during DeSantis’ vic- and two tornadoes to the Tampa tory party emerged. Bay region. 1B Even then, Ferré minimized FLORIDIAN the presence of Parnas and Fru- man. When asked about the A passion for art men, who helped Trump’s per- Stanton Storer’s treasures shine sonal attorney, Giuliani, push in “Unbound” at the University of for investigations in Ukraine of Tampa Scarfone/Hartley Gallery. 1E the president’s political oppo- nents, Ferré said that the event SPORTS was “open to the public.” Yet the Top 100 all-time Bucs pictures show Parnas wearing a badge stating “official guest” Our ranking of the franchise’s best and the two standing next to players ranges from the first draft DeSantis’ teacher from his Dune- pick in 1976 to Super Bowl winners din grade school days, a fixture and current stars. 1C at Tampa Bay area campaign events. Ferré later said “donors Today's weather were likely invited” by his cam- CLEAR TAKEOVER paign to the party. Shower or t-storm After a social media firestorm 8 a.m. Noon 4 p.m. 8 p.m. Times staff writer Tracey McManus reveals the mysterious over the images, DeSantis finally acknowledged Wednesday that he deals that have the potential to reshape downtown Clearwater. See DESANTIS, 12A 77° 84° 85° 78° Our map shows every transaction. 40% chance of rain More, back page of Sports Pages 7-11A Vol. 136 No. 088 © Times Publishing Co..
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