Craig Unger

“Trump would not... put up a ... penny, but... get 18 percent of... profits... for licensing... as Bayrock financed and developed... Trump... SoHo.”

“Foreign money, often untraceable, began transforming the high-end {{w|Manhattan}} real-estate market, and the pools of cash that Bayrock promised appealed to Trump.”

“Bayrock’s relationship with Trump dates... to 2002... Trump was ... licking wounds over his Atlantic City over-expansion a decade earlier, after which he had a more difficult time borrowing money.”

“Jonathan Winer... [said] "What anyone in Trump’s position should have done is investigate those allegations [about Sater’s criminal past] to ensure that there was not a money-laundering operation."”

“[A]ttorneys Frederick Oberlander and Richard Lerner... qui tam suit against Bayrock... charged ...laundering $250 million in profits from Trump SoHo and other projects, and... [evading] $100 million in... taxes.”

“The suit claimed... the real purpose... in addition to marketing... condos bearing the Trump brand, was "to launder many millions... and evade taxes."”

“[Jody] Kriss... alleged that Bayrock was "covertly mob-owned and operated... backed by oligarchs and money they stole from the Russian people... engaged in... financial-institution fraud, tax fraud, partnership fraud, {{w|human trafficking}}, {{w|child prostitution}}, {{w|statutory rape}}, and, on occasion, real estate."”

“In Vladimir Putin's regime, business... organized crime and intelligence... can... be used as weapons of the state. ...[O]ne company that potentially questionable Russian money flowed through was Bayrock.”

“Sater's {{w|criminal record}}... did not appear to be a deal breaker for Trump. "Donald is happy with me..."”

“I would argue Mogilevich... has a direct relationship to Putin... [T]hat's come out in ...WikiLeaks releases... David Bogatin, going back to 1984, was tied to the Mogilevich crime gang, and Mogilevich is tied to Putin.”

“Mogilevich... probably the most powerful mobster in Russia for more than 30 years. ...According to FBI files... in... prostitution... drug running... elaborate stock fraud scandals... [etc.] [R]enowned for... {{w|money laundering}}. ...the "brainy don" ...[came] up with... elaborate schemes... trusted by ...mobsters to launder their money... $1.3 trillion... it would be great to have a real estate mogul who had thousands... of luxury condos you could trade... through shell companies...”

“[A] free-for-all where he's laundering massive amounts of Russian money?”

“[H]is first trip to Russia... hoping to build a Trump Tower in Moscow... ...the first ...presidential ambitions surface. ...in '88 ...a full page ad in The New York Times and {{w|The Washington Post}}... the same kind of foreign policy... since ...president, attacking {{w|Western Europe}}, attacking NATO... that appears to be in Russia's interest...”

“Putin's greatest achievement... weaponized organized crime... effectively a powerful foreign policy tool... [T]hey've compromised... the president of the United States...”

“If you're in a relationship with the {{w|Russian mafia}}, they're the boss. You're {{w|the apprentice}}. ...[T]hey have compromised him, and they are ...an arm of the Russian government. Russia is a {{w|mafia state}}.”

“...35 Trump Towers ...8,000 or 10,000 units. It would be interesting to figure out ...the scale of {{w|money laundering}} ...[D]uring the same period, since Putin's been in power ...$1.3 trillion in flight capital from Russia... to launder.”

“I found... 13... episodes... {{w|Trump Tower}}, the president's home, was... a [{{w|Russian mafia}}] center for operations for... a long period...”

“[W]hen was he first compromised by Russia? ...1984 ...David Bogatin, who allegedly had ties to the most powerful crime gang in Russia... who doesn't... [seemingly] have [legitimate] means of making a living... meets with Donald Trump, and... buys... five luxury condominiums for more than $6 million... in {{w|Trump Tower}}... [T]he State Attorney General Office ...ruled ...that was money laundering for the {{w|Russian mafia}}.”

“In ...2013 ...police ...rounded up... suspects in... gambling rings... prosecutors called "...world's largest sports book," ...in {{w|Trump Tower}}—including the entire fifty-first floor ...[A] condo ...below one owned by Trump ...served as headquarters for a "sophisticated money-laundering scheme" that moved ...$100 million out of the former Soviet Union ...into ...the United States ...under ...protection of {{w|Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov}} ...”

“[E]xamining... deeds, bank records, and court documents... {{w|Financial Times}} concluded... Trump SoHo had "multiple ties to an alleged international money-laundering network."”