Stormy Daniels’s Lawyer Claims Russian Oligarch Reimbursed Michael Cohen - Intelligencer ( New York Magazine )

May 8, 2018
6:51 pm
Stormy Daniels’s Lawyer Claims Russian Oligarch Reimbursed Michael Cohen
By
Benjamin Hart
@realaxelfoley

Things aren’t looking great. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images
Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels’s high-profile lawyer, tweeted on Monday that Trump fixer Michael Cohen had received $500,000 from a company controlled by a Russian oligarch last year, and that the money may have acted as a repayment for Cohen’s $130,000 payoff to Daniels.

Michael Avenatti
✔
@MichaelAvenatti
 After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment.

7:05 AM - May 9, 2018

In a second tweet, Avenatti attached a document purporting to show that the oligarch, Viktor Vekelsburg, and his cousin Andrew Intrater “routed eight payments to Mr. Cohen through a company named Columbus Nova LLC beginning in January 2017 and continuing until at least August 2017.”

Michael Avenatti
✔
@MichaelAvenatti
 The Executive Summary from our first Preliminary Report on Findings may be accessed via the link below.  Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen have a lot of explaining to do.https://www.dropbox.com/s/pskgpwr15r48tx5/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0 …

7:06 AM - May 9, 2018

Executive Summary.pdf
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The document includes a perhaps even more explosive detail: that multiple large companies had also made payments to a different Cohen company, perhaps in an effort to influence Trump administration policy.

Robert Maguire
✔
@RobertMaguire_
 Here's something that could be a REALLY big deal: In addition to the payments from a Russian oligarch, Avenatti says that major companies -- like Novartis and AT&T -- were making large payments in 2017 and 2018 to the LLC that Michael Cohen set up to pay Stormy Daniels

7:43 AM - May 9, 2018
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AT&T confirmed that it had made the payments shortly after Avenatti’s tweets were posted.


Christina Wilkie
✔
@christinawilkie
 BREAKING: @ATT confirms payments to Cohen LLC >>

Full Stmt: “Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration. They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017”

8:38 AM - May 9, 2018
As did Novartis:

Jon Swaine
✔
@jonswaine
 Spokesman for NOVARTIS does not dispute Avenatti's assertion that it paid Cohen. Says: "Any agreements with Essential Consultants were entered before our current CEO taking office in February of this year and have expired."

9:37 AM - May 9, 2018

Vekelsburg, who is one of the world’s richest men, was recently sanctioned by the Trump administration over suspected 2016 election meddling.  The New York Times reported last week that Vekelsberg was stopped at an aiport and questioned by agents working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller about two months ago; CNN reported on Tuesday that agents asked him about the payments to Cohen,  seemingly confirming Avenatti’s assertion of the transaction.

Cohen’s lawyer denied Avenatti’s characterization:

Natasha Bertrand
✔
@NatashaBertrand
 Michael Cohen’s attorney, Steve Ryan, won’t discuss the $500,000 Michael Avenatti says Cohen received from Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in 2017. “I understand the shorthand you’re using, but it wasn’t a payment,” Ryan says before hanging up.

7:20 AM - May 9, 2018

Cohen is in dire legal and emotional straits after federal investigators raided his office last month.