FBI investigates Russian-linked Cyprus bank accused of money laundering

[Princess Turandot]

6. A few years, NY Magazine published an article about real estate purchases in NYC...

titled Stash Pad. It is long, but quite interesting. Any hairball with the cash can buy real estate here and remain anonymous by using shell companies as the purchaser. Some actually transfer money to their US based attorneys, where it goes into client accounts held by the law firm cloaked in privilege, from whence the purchases are then made. It's been going on for a long time.

Real estate transaction transparency was carved out of the various financial oversight rules established by the Patriot Act. So basically, Bin Laden himself could have purchased 20 units in a high end building here, and no one would necessarily know that he had done so, at least not from the purchase itself.

Former Senator Carl Levin kept trying to close this loophole, but to no avail.