Turkish businessman arrested in scheme with Utah polygamists
SOPHIA EPPOLITO, Associated Press/Report for America
June 22, 2021
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A Turkish businessman has been arrested by the U.S. Justice Department in connection with what authorities say was a biodiesel fraud scheme operated by a Utah business that stole nearly $500 million in government funds.
Sezgin Baran Korkmaz was arrested in Austria on Saturday on suspicion of laundering over $133 million through bank accounts that authorities contend he controlled in Turkey and Luxembourg, federal prosecutors said in a statement Monday.
Prosecutors said Korkmaz was connected to a biodiesel fraud scheme run by Utah polygamists Jacob and Isaiah Kingston and gas station owner Lev Dermen to defraud the the U.S. Treasury by filing false claims for over $1 billion in refundable renewable fuel tax credits. They are accused of using the money to buy luxury sports cars and million-dollar homes, prosecu
Turkish businessman arrested over alleged scheme with Utah polygamists thespectrum.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thespectrum.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After the bribe is donated to the charity of choice, the mayor uses a trusted person to issue an inflated invoice, and pocket the difference between the actual cost of the job and the money that was paid, Peker explained.
Last Updated On: Jan 04 2021 11:54 Gmt+3
Turkish law enforcements raided Sezgin Baran Korkmaz’ (SBK) houses and offices as part of an operation conducted by Istanbul’s anti-terror and organised crime units last week.
Korkmaz’s business partners, Jacob and Isaiah Kingston (also known as the Mormon Crime Brothers), pled guilty of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and are still in prison while Korkmaz is now a part of a money laundering investigation in Turkey. There is no sign of cooperation between U.S. and Turkish authorities on this latest operation.
So far a Turkish court has ordered the arrest of one businessman who is known to be close to SBK, and another 10 people who were detained a day earlier from the same company but later released. SBK, in a video message from his LindkedIN account said he will return Turkey in a few weeks after he takes care of his business dealings in Luxembourg where he currently is visiting and getting ready to open a hotel in Switzer
FOX 13 Investigates: Public school with ties to polygamous sect is 100% white
FOX 13 Investigates: Charter school with ties to polygamous sect has low minority enrollment
Posted at 10:07 PM, Dec 10, 2020
and last updated 2021-01-14 01:12:56-05
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah â Brooke Anderson is a data analyst who noticed something unusual about the student body at Vanguard Academy.
âIt stuck out like a sore thumb, Anderson said. âVanguard Academy has had millions of dollars in funding to run a school of entirely white students in West Valley City, and I wonder why that is.â
Public data shows Vanguard Academy, a public charter school in West Valley City, has 463 students. Over the last five years, there has been only one enrolled student who is not white.