A few days ago, I uploaded a post suggesting that the real story about Donald Trump, Robert Maxwell, and Jeffrey Epstein had very little to do with political blackmail, and much more to do with arms-dealing and money-laundering for the Russian Mob.
The post, and its attendant links, paint a picture of Robert Maxwell and then Donald Trump laundering money for the Russian Mob for decades. Primarily in association with Semion Mogilevich (head of the Eastern European and Russian Mafia), and including financial institutions in communist Eastern Europe and then post-Cold War Russia.
My own first-hand investigations and research for my book “Maggie’s Hammer” (https://maggieshammer.com/), covering some twenty-seven years, led to information that the subject of my book, and close friend and political mentor, Hugh Simmonds CBE, had been involved certainly with laundering arms profits for Robert Maxwell, and with elements in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.
In these regards, and as a follow-up to my earlier post, I set out below some incredibly (and admittedly) wonkish details about Robert Maxwell, money-laundering, and his connections to Bulgaria and Semion Mogilevich:
Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch, 1923–1991) was born into poverty in Czechoslovakia, Maxwell escaped Nazi persecution, fought in World War II with the British Army, and was decorated for bravery. After the war, he transformed himself into a British media tycoon, building a publishing empire through Pergamon Press and later acquiring major entities like the Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers. His flamboyant lifestyle, marked by luxury yachts and helicopters, masked a web of financial irregularities, espionage allegations, and criminal connections.
Maxwell was a man of contradictions: a charismatic yet ruthless figure driven by ambition, greed, and a desire for influence. Books written about him explore his alleged ties to intelligence agencies, including the British MI6, Soviet KGB, and Israeli Mossad, suggesting he may have operated as a double or triple agent. His business dealings, particularly in the 1980s and early 1990s, are depicted as increasingly fraudulent, culminating in the looting of pension funds from his companies, which led to his financial downfall. Maxwell’s mysterious death in November 1991, falling from his yacht Lady Ghislaine off the Canary Islands, is a focal point, with journalists and writers examining theories of suicide, murder, or accident. The official inquest ruled it a heart attack combined with accidental drowning, but speculation persists about Mossad’s involvement or suicide to avoid financial disgrace.
Books about Maxwell demonstrate huge support for Israel, his role in facilitating Soviet Jewish immigration, and his connections with powerful figures, including politicians and criminals. They paint a picture of a man whose loyalties were primarily to himself and, to a significant extent, Israel, with his business empire serving as a front for espionage and illicit financial activities.
Allegations of Financial Connections and Criminal Activities
1. Financial Connections in Bulgaria
• Neva Network and Multi-Group: Maxwell is alleged to have been deeply involved in Bulgaria’s Neva network, a criminal syndicate that grew into one of the most powerful crime organizations globally, encompassing the Russian mafia, Bulgarian crime families, and networks in New York, Hong Kong, and Japan. The Neva Project, initiated under Bulgarian President Todor Zhivkov and facilitated by Andrei Lukanov (a former Bulgarian Central Committee member and future Prime Minister), was a key vehicle for Maxwell’s activities. This project was reportedly backed by a deal with KGB boss Vladimir Kryuchkov, who bribed Zhivkov to secure cooperation. All companies Maxwell formed in Bulgaria eventually operated under the umbrella of Multi-Group, which controlled significant profits from gas, telecommunications, oil, gambling, and money laundering.
• Role in Money Laundering: Maxwell is said to have laundered money through Bulgaria, taking a 15–20% cut of the profits. His activities capitalized on the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, which created opportunities for fraud and theft of state assets. Maxwell worked with former Eastern Bloc intelligence agents turned criminals, channeling their illicit gains through Bulgarian and Western banks.
• Collaboration with Ognan Doinov: Maxwell collaborated with Ognan Doinov, a close ally of Zhivkov, who facilitated business connections with Israel’s military-scientific establishment. After Maxwell’s death, his sons Ian and Kevin, along with Doinov, were reportedly involved in meetings with Grigory Luchansky of Nordex, a company tied to Soviet-era money laundering, suggesting the continuation of Maxwell’s criminal operations.
2. Connections with Semion Mogilevich
• Association with Mogilevich: Semion Mogilevich, a notorious transnational crime boss, is linked to Maxwell through their mutual involvement in organized crime and money laundering. Maxwell is alleged to have worked with the Semion Mogilevich Organization, a powerful criminal network. Specifically, Maxwell is said to have authorized Israeli passports for Mogilevich in the late 1980s, a period when Maxwell’s influence in intelligence and criminal circles was significant. This connection ties Maxwell to Mogilevich’s operations, which included money laundering, arms trafficking, and other illicit activities across Eastern Europe and beyond.
• Money Laundering and Organized Crime: Mogilevich’s organization reportedly benefited from Maxwell’s expertise in laundering money through Bulgaria and Western financial systems. Maxwell’s role as a middleman facilitated the movement of illicit funds, with his publishing and financial enterprises serving as fronts for these activities. Writers highlight Maxwell’s ability to navigate the intersection of legitimate business and organized crime, with Mogilevich as a key figure in this underworld.
3. Money Laundering in Eastern Europe
• Looting of State Assets: The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s and early 1990s created a “feeding frenzy” of fraud and theft, in which Maxwell played a significant role. He established contacts with KGB and other Eastern Bloc intelligence agents who transitioned into the criminal world, helping them loot state resources. Maxwell’s money-laundering operations in Eastern Europe involved channeling profits from illegal arms, prostitution, drugs, and contract killings through Bulgaria and Western banks, earning him a substantial cut (15–20%).
• Gorbachev-Maxwell Institute: Maxwell’s project with Mikhail Gorbachev, the “Gorbachev-Maxwell Institute” in Minnesota, is cited as a cover for money-laundering operations. This initiative, ostensibly a scientific or educational endeavor, was allegedly used to funnel illicit funds from the Soviet Union to the West before the USSR’s collapse.
• Nordex and Luchansky: Maxwell’s connections extended to Nordex, a company founded with Soviet Latvian government approval and led by Grigory Luchansky. Nordex was implicated in money laundering and illicit arms deals, including an incident involving Scud missile warheads. Maxwell’s sons were linked to Nordex after his death, indicating the persistence of these networks.
4. Connections with Israeli Intelligence
• Mossad Allegations: Maxwell is widely alleged to have been a “superspy” for Israel’s Mossad. His involvement reportedly began in the 1970s when Mossad stole the Enhanced PROMIS software from the United States. Maxwell facilitated the distribution of a bugged version of PROMIS, which contained a trapdoor allowing Mossad to monitor users, to various governments and institutions, including Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. This operation, allegedly facilitated by former U.S. Senator John Tower, gave Israel access to sensitive U.S. nuclear and security data.
• 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Maxwell’s early ties to Israel included covert assistance in smuggling aircraft parts during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, aiding Israel’s air supremacy. His contacts with Czechoslovak communist leaders were crucial to this effort.
• Mordechai Vanunu Incident: Maxwell is accused of informing the Israeli Embassy in London in 1986 about Mordechai Vanunu’s revelations to The [London] Sunday Times and Daily Mirror regarding Israel’s nuclear capabilities, leading to Vanunu’s kidnapping by Mossad and subsequent imprisonment. These claims, made by former Mossad operative Ari Ben-Menashe, were disputed by Maxwell, who called them “ludicrous.”
• Funeral and Israeli Ties: Maxwell’s lavish funeral in Israel, attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, President Chaim Herzog, and six heads of Israeli intelligence, underscores his deep ties to the country. Shamir’s eulogy stated that Maxwell “has done more for Israel than can today be told,” fueling speculation about his Mossad connections.
• Mossad Murder Theory: Some sources suggest Maxwell’s death was an assassination by Mossad, possibly due to his attempts to extort money from the agency to cover his financial losses. This theory remains speculative but is supported by claims from former Mossad agents like Victor Ostrovsky and Efraim.
• Money Laundering of Arms Profits from the UK: While Maxwell’s involvement in arms-related activities is documented, specific allegations about laundering arms profits from the UK are less clear. However:
o Maxwell’s ties to the arms trade are noted through his connections with figures like Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer, and his alleged role in facilitating arms deals through his intelligence and criminal networks.
o His distribution of the bugged PROMIS software to intelligence agencies, including those involved in arms-related intelligence (e.g., South Africa, Guatemala, and Colombia), suggests a nexus between his espionage activities and the arms trade.
o Maxwell’s money-laundering operations in the UK likely involved profits from various illicit activities, including arms, given his connections to Eastern European crime syndicates and intelligence agencies. However, sources do not provide detailed evidence of specific arms profit laundering from the UK, focusing more on his broader money-laundering schemes through Bulgaria and Western banks.
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