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Democratic Fundraiser Arrested in $74 Million Fraud

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Posted on Aug 25, 2009
Obama
Air Force / Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

Nemazee donated the maximum $50,000 to President Obama’s inauguration, pictured above.

Hassan Nemazee has raised millions for Democratic candidates, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He was arrested Tuesday for allegedly using bogus documents and phone numbers to try to sucker Citibank out of $74 million.

Somehow Citibank was able to resist the catnip allure of a bad loan and cooperate with authorities.  —PS

New York Times:

A wealthy New York investor and prominent Democratic Party fund-raiser with ties to President Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton was arrested on Tuesday and accused of lying about his assets to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank.

The investor, Hassan Nemazee, a former national finance chairman for Mrs. Clinton, orchestrated the fraud by using forged documents showing that he held accounts with collateral worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a federal complaint charged.

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By Druthers, August 26, 2009 at 8:34 am Link to this comment

Now this is outrageous!  Aren’t the banks supposed to be the ones authorised to set up frauds?
It has been so long since I heard of their doing anything else this must be a stressful shock for them, a blow below the belt…can they survive?  Will they need a bailout? Just think how awful it would be they if they could not afford bonuses. 
We must be compassionate, after all this is almost like losing one’s job. Be brave big banks.  We are here as usual so that in case of need you can pick our pockets.

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thebeerdoctor's avatar

By thebeerdoctor, August 26, 2009 at 5:23 am Link to this comment

In doing search on Mr. Nemazee, I cam across this at Public Citizen, in an article concerned with elite bundled fund raising, for the John Kerry presidential bid:

“Kerry garnered support from major Clinton supporters include former Small Business Administration head Fred Hochberg and several participants in the notorious “White House coffees” including Vance Opperman, former president of West Publishing and Hassan Nemazee, whose nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Argentina was withdrawn in 1999 after Forbes deemed him “a slick talking investor with a spotty record.””

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By TheRealFish, August 26, 2009 at 5:07 am Link to this comment

So, let’s see. In the “inverted pyramid” of journalistic story construction (you put the most pertinent information first, fill in the details later), the NYT article completes if single sentence first paragraph with “prominent Democratic Party fund-raiser with ties to President Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton was arrested on Tuesday and accused of lying about his assets to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank.”

And TD places which picture and caption next to their tease to this article? Of course, it’s Barack Obama and mention this guy donated his max of $50k to President-elect Obama’s *inauguration* (read that: probably the least influence-purchasing use of political lucre possible, since Obama’s already IN…).

We next read he was “a former national finance chairman for Mrs. Clinton” (some of the backfill information coming in). A trifle more influential position there, right?

Sure makes it look, at the casual glance, like this *alleged* crook was pretty significant to the person pictured doesn’t it?

It is amazing what editorial choices are made sometimes, isn’t it?

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Purple Girl's avatar

By Purple Girl, August 26, 2009 at 4:34 am Link to this comment

An American citizen tries to Swindle a huge Finance Corp out of millions? Sounds fair to me, since that is exactly what these bloated Fin Corps have done to every American Citizen.
He shouldn’t be arrested - He should be given a ticker tape parade and the Key to NYC!

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By diogenes, August 25, 2009 at 7:11 pm Link to this comment

So let me get this straight. Per the NYT article, he gamed the banking system, was caught, paid back the money on Monday, indicted on 1 (one) count of fraud on Tuesday.

Since the bank was made whole there are no damages (other than egos), but he’s got an Arab name and he’s connected to the Democrats. I do know what this, it is not news.

You just gotta love our justice system, and the political and financial systems that drive it.

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