Craig Unger

“The "tower full of oligarchs," ...became a model for Trump’s projects ...”

“James Moody... told Friedman. "...we found out that [Ivankov] was living in a luxury condo in {{w|Trump Tower}}." ...high-level Russian mobsters came to view the future president's properties as a home away from home.”

“The FBI concluded... one of Ivankov's partners... was Felix Komarov...”

“In Red Mafiya... Friedman documented how Ivankov organized... a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise. According to the FBI, he recruited... "combat brigades" of Special Forces veterans from the Soviet war in Afghanistan to run the... {{w|protection racket}} and kill... enemies.”

“According to the FBI... Mogilevich paid a Russian judge to spring... Vyachelsav Kirillovich Ivankov, from a... {{w|gulag}}. ...Ivankov was the enforcer ...torturing ...victims and boasting about ...murders ...”

“[A]ccording to the FBI... [{{w|Semion Mogilevich}}] was the key money-laundering contact for the Solntsevskaya Bratva... one of the richest criminal syndicates in the world. ...[R]unning a multibillion-dollar worldwide racket ...drug trafficking and prostitution rings ...accused of selling ...stolen ...ground-to-air missiles and armored troop carriers, to Iran. ..."He uses ...wealth and power ..." the FBI says, "...to influence governments and their economies."”

“According to James Henry... $1.3 trillion in illicit capital has poured out of Russia since the 1990s.”

“After Vladimir Putin... Russian intelligence effectively joined forces with the country’s mobsters and oligarchs...”

“Yeltsin... would... describe Russia as "the biggest {{w|mafia state}} in the world."”

“Boris Yeltsin's shift to a market economy was so abrupt that... {{w|gangster}}s and corrupt government officials were able to privatize and loot state-held assets in oil, {{w|coal}}, {{w|mineral}}s, and banking.”

“[T]he public record makes clear that Trump built his business empire in no small part with a lot of dirty money from a lot of dirty Russians—including the dirtiest and most feared of them all.”

“[F]low of money from Russia provided Trump with a crucial infusion of financing that helped rescue his empire... "They saved his bacon," says Kenneth McCallion...”

“A Senate investigation... revealed that Bogatin was a leading figure in the Russian mob in New York. His ...ties ...led straight to the top: His brother ran a $150 million stock scam with ...{{w|Semion Mogilevich}}, whom the FBI considers the "boss of bosses" of the {{w|Russian mafia}}... Mogilevich ...was expanding his multibillion-dollar international criminal syndicate into America.”

“{{anchor|WinerJ}}"During the '80s and '90s, we... repeatedly saw... criminals... use condos and high-rises to launder money," says Jonathan Winer... "it was a way of turning dirty money into clean money... and it explained why there are so many high-rises... sold but no one... living in them."”

“In 1984... David Bogatin... former pilot in the {{w|Soviet Army}}... specialty... shooting down Americans over {{w|North Vietnam}}... plunked... $6 million to buy... five [Trump Tower] luxury condos. ...According to {{w|Wayne Barrett}}... Trump personally attended the closing... Russian mobsters were beginning to invest in high-end real estate... an ideal vehicle to launder money...”