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By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC - The Times UK - Honduras - The Source 

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Aug 8 –  As Inner City Press covered the OneCoin trial last Fall, a number of names of indicted co-conspirators emerged on which we continue following up.

  One of them was Amer Abdulaziz Salman.

As Inner City Press exclusively reported on November 6, surprise cooperating witness Konstantin Ignatov brought up Amer Abdulaziz and Phoenix Thoroughbreds during his testimony, live-tweeted @InnerCityPress, and see here.

  Then The Guardian, crediting Inner City Press, quotes the British Horseracing Association somewhat Casablanca-like: "In testimony live-tweeted by the investigative journalism website Inner City Press, Ignatov reportedly referred to Abdulaziz as “one of the main money launderers” involved in the scheme.  Ignatov went on: “After he stole €100m from OneCoin, he started buying racehorses for, like, €25m.”  The BHA said it was 'aware of the allegations which are emanating from a criminal case in the United States. We are in contact with the appropriate authorities.'" 

 These appropriate authorities presumably would include or even center on the Office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose spokesperson has while providing the Press with exhibits in Honduras and gang / 6ix9ine trial with its exhibits has continued to decline in this case. We'll have more on this.

 For now we have this: Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Tom Ludt has belatedly quit, citing his concern about money laundering issues that have been public for ten months. Does this mean Amer Abdulaziz Salman will belatedly be arrested? On August 7 Inner City Press reported live that Sebastian Greenwood is discussing a "pre-trial resolution." Watch this site.

  On November 24, 2019 Inner City Press
 tweets were used without any credit in a derivative article by the Racing Post's Peter Scargill - apparently dodginess pervades this part of the industry.

  Inner City Press has been contacted from Dubai of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, from Amer Abdulaziz's native Bahrain and elsewhere by whistleblowers in the horse racing industry, with extensive information about Amer Abdulaziz's previous schemes and sudden windfall with OneCoin money. See below.

  Now Phoenix Thoroughbreds has tweeted a legal threat, as if media reporting based on sworn testimony a public trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York could be sued or silences or censored.

The tweet: "“Phoenix Fund Investments LLC categorically denies all allegations made against it, and its owner, Mr. Amer Abdulaziz, in legal proceedings against OneCoin and its conspirators in the US.  “Phoenix Fund Investments LLC believes that the firm and Mr. Amer Abdulaziz have acted according to the law at all times, and will vigorously contest all allegations of wrongdoing. Phoenix Fund Investments LLC will fully cooperate with relevant authorities should they require any assistance.  “Phoenix Fund Investments LLC is currently seeking legal advice and will take appropriate action against those involved in the publication of false and defamatory statements.”

  Amer Abdulaziz was named by a sworn witness, Konstantin Ignatov, as being one of OneCoin's money launderers. And the defendant, Mark Scott, said this during his post-arrest statement:

SCOTT: "All the money that was not invested, umm, was at the direction of the investors, sent to, umm, another, umm, another financial advisor in Dubai. We have nothing to do anymore   

Agent Fata: And who is that financial advisor?   

 Scott  They’re called, we signed an agreement, the first agreement at the behest of the investors is called Phoenix something Investment Fund, I think just Phoenix. And then, umm, and I have the name of the guy that I dealt with, that I was directed to in my emails and what. I’m going to say, Amar [phonetic] something. You know…   

Agent Eckel: So your, the, the Fenero funds were, were closed and transferred to Phoenix Investment Fund?

Scott: Yeah."

   We'll have more on this.

  Abdulaziz for example was outed as not paying for three horses, with it being for uncredited reported that Fasig-Tipton had not received payment for grade I winner Crisp and the broodmares Little Bonnet and Sky Mom, who were sold for more than $1.9 million combined... Dubai-based agent Ajay Anne purchased the three horses for a group of Dubai-based investors headed by Amer Abdul Aziz. Crisp (by El Corredor ) brought $900,000 while the stakes-placed winner Little Bonnet (by Coronado's Quest), who is the dam of grade I winner Boys At Tosconova , and grade III winner Sky Mom (by Maria's Mon) brought $725,000 and $320,000, respectively.  Little Bonnet was sold in foal to Bluegrass Cat , and Sky Mom was sold in foal to Tiznow .  Bluewater Sales, agent, consigned Crisp while Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned Little Bonnet and Sky Mom.  Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning, reached by telephone March 7, declined to comment. But Abdul Aziz, in a March 3 interview [that he apparently later claimed was off the record and reportedly paid to get removed from the Internet], indicated the transactions were close to being finalized.  “We purchased the horses because they are very exciting horses, top quality,” he told the Post. “There have been some delays because of the formation of the investment company and that is being finalized. We are just liquidating the funds into the company’s account. As we speak the payment is being made.  “Everything was finalized two days ago so we are looking at closing the deal in the next couple of days. There was some delay with the licensing, there was some delay with the investors."

   After some delay, and not insubstantial humiliation for Ajay Anne with his connections to Dubai Sheikh Mohammed's Darley and the repeat promise that an Abu Dhabi sheikh was coming in, investment in Abdulaziz by OneCoin and Ruja Ignatova occurred.

    As we've previously noted, through his Phoenix fund, Amer Abdulaziz has been buying up thoroughbred horses. Among those he's worked with, and with whom authorities may wish to speak and even play lets-make-a-deal are not only Ajay Anne but also (why not?) Sheikh Mohammed, Tom Ludt and, having broken with Phoenix Thoroughbreds as with her husband who trained all the horses, Kerri Radcliffe.

  As to Dubai and the UAE and Inner City Press' ongoing focus on the regulatory failures that allowed all this, including OneCoin, after the disgrace of Abraaj with its SDNY connections and the real failings of DIFC/DFSA (Dubai's offshore center and regulator), the fact that Amer Abdulaziz managed to open up companies under their jurisdiction should be something that Dubai should be ashamed of - and should be noted and acted on by supra-national regulatory bodies. More on Patreon here.

  Phoenix Thoroughbred's horses have included "Advertise," the son of Showcasing, set to begin a stallion career projected to be lucrative at the National Stud in New Market in 2020.

  But is it all based on money laundering for OneCoin? And what of the royals who have been linked in, not only Queen Elizabeth through the Jockey Club but also the al Thani family of Qatar, the Saudi royals and the the Maktoum family of Dubai, whom some sources tell Inner City Press have harbored Ruja Ignatova herself . We'll have more on this. More on Patreon here.

 "It's the perfect front for money laundering," one horse-breeding industry participant told Inner City Press on condition of anonymity.

     During the trial, Inner City Press tweeted its surprise the Amer Abdulaziz was, unlike Ruja Ignatova, living in plain sight. It has continued: he has re-tweeted as recently as November 20.

   While some say he is going into hiding, it would seem that the US FBI or its overseas partners could easily bring him in.   So why haven't they? This is the fourth in an Inner City Press series. More on Patreon here.

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