Hollywood Director Rinsch Charged With Money Laundering and Other Crimes.

Earlier this week, Carl Rinsch, a Hollywood director who directed Keanu Reeves in the 2013 film 47 Ronin, was charged with Money Laundering as well as other financial crimes. According to a report in The Washington Post, Rinsch claimed that despite being paid $44 Million to make a science fiction series called White Horse, he asked Netflix for another $11 million. Rinsch allegedly took 10 of the 11 million, put it into a brokerage account, made some ill-advised bets, and lost most of it. However, with the few million remaining, Rinsch invested in cryptocurrency (specifically Elon Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin). According to a report in the LA Times, Rinsch spent $632K on two high-end mattresses. This whole caper would make a great Netflix drama.

Javier Milei’s Cryptocurrency Misadventures.

Last week, Javier Milei, the chainsaw-wielding president of Argentina, became embroiled in a cryptocurrency scandal. According to a report in the Guardian, Milei tweeted about a cryptocurrency called $Libra, saying it would boost the notoriously sluggish Argentine economy. According to a report in the AP, the backers of $Libra are a fascinating collection of characters. Hayden Davis, a well-known meme coin developer who founded the Melania Trump meme coin, is the main backer of Libra. As well as Davis, Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool, was deeply involved in the promise of an interview with Milei; finally, an unknown crypto backer known as “Meow” also played a prominent role. When Milei touted $Libra, the price went from $0 to $5 and then only a few hours later plummeted back down $0. This appears to be a classic “rug pull” whereby a cryptocurrency is artificially inflated, and the value craters when crypto influencers sell their shares, making the tokens worthless. It is unclear what will happen to Milei, but there are rumors of possible impeachment proceedings in the future.

The Perils of Trump Coin.

On the eve of the presidential inauguration, news filtered out that President Trump was releasing a “meme coin” called $Trump. Memecoins are cryptocurrency assets with no practical financial value but reference popular internet trends. In a report published by Reuters today, companies affiliated with Trump received $100 million in trading fees, and 50 of the most prominent investors in the Trump coin have made a $10 million profit. While this benefits Trump and his associates, it opens a massive ethical can of worms. There is a very real scenario: a foreign power such as Saudi Arabia could fill up its digital wallet with Trump coins instead of staying at one of Trump’s properties to curry favor with the new administration, as had happened during the first term. It will be fascinating to see how this story develops, but it highlights how murky the crypto world can be.

Anti-Corruption Siddiq Resigns Due to Anti-Corruption Probe.

Last week, the Anti-Corruption minister in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government, Tulip Siddiq, resigned. Starmer and Siddiq have been politically close for a while as they are Members of Parliament (MPs) in neighboring constituencies in North London. In a report by the BBC, Siddiq is the niece of Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in a series of protests led by students last year. Hasina was also alleged to have embezzled £3.9 billion in infrastructure spending from her government. Siddiq’s name came up in a wide-ranging corruption probe linked to several shell companies regarding her use of several properties in north London. As last week wore on, it became clear that her position was untenable; hence, she resigned.

Close Ally of Orban Sanctioned By The US.

Last Week, the U.S. government sanctioned Hungarian president Viktor Orban’s cabinet minister, Antal Rogan. According to a report in Politico, Rogan has allegedly used his office to enrich himself and other Orban allies. In particular, Rogan set up a procurement system that funneled lucrative government contracts to Rogan’s allies and Orban’s Fidesz Party in a broader sense. According to a report in the BBC, Rogan runs the Hungarian Intelligence Service, and NATO allies are loath to provide the Orban government with sensitive information for fear that it may end up in the hands of President Putin, with whom Orban has a close relationship. The sanctioning of Rogan will likely prove meaningless as the incoming Trump administration will rescind the order due to his close ties with Orban.

South Korean Authorities Seek Warrant for Ex-President.

Earlier this week, South Korean authorities issued a warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol after he instituted martial law in early December. According to a report from ABC, prosecutors intend to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and inciting a possible insurrection. Another report from The Guardian states that shortly after the warrants were issued against Yoon, a task force set up to investigate the order of martial law raided the office of the South Korean army’s counterintelligence unit in an attempt to figure out what role they played. If found guilty of the insurrection charges, Yoon faces life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The warrant is valid until January 6^th, and Yoon could be held at Seoul’s central prison until then.

The Connection Between Orban and Football.

(Disclaimer: I spent a few days in Budapest last month: a lovely city).

There has long been a connection between football and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. It has long been known that Orban loves the sport. According to an article on a website called Breaking The Lines, the Prime Minister would reportedly watch up to six matches a day(when does he find the time to run the country) and often attends the finals of the World Cup and UEFA Champions League (the biggest club competition in Europe). Orban was even included in the 2006 version of Football Manager (a well-known Football Management Simulator). Orban’s first connection to football came through his local village, Felscuit, where he supported his local club, Videoton FC.

In the 2010s, a massive stadium-building boom began in Hungary. In particular, a 4,000-seat stadium was built in 2014 in Felscuit (a village of 1,000 people) at the cost of 10 million Euros for Puskas Academy, the club that Orban founded in 2007. According to a report in the BBC, 2 billion pounds of government income were directed toward Hungarian football clubs for building stadiums and operating costs. Orban has actively encouraged Hungarian oligarchs to invest in football clubs as a form of tax relief and a way to be in his good books. Hungary has a curious practice whereby vast amounts of EU development funds meant for schools and hospitals get siphoned off to oligarchs or used for infrastructure projects that don’t seem strictly necessary (the motorways, for instance, are pristine). While all of this sounds admirable, Hungary is a country that is struggling economically, and spending 2 billion pounds of government income on building a new football stadium and not schools and hospitals doesn’t seem to be beneficial to the Hungarian people.

New York Mayor Adams Indicted on Corruption Charges.

Yesterday, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, was indicted for corruption allegations. According to a report in the New York Times, Adams faces federal bribery charges, fraud, and soliciting illegal campaign funds from foreign countries. The central allegation facing Adams is that he conspired with the Turkish government to obtain funds for his re-election campaign. The federal indictment against Adams states that in return for the illegal funds, he pressured the New York Fire Department to approve the building of a new Turkish consulate despite serious concerns about its safety. According to another New York Times report, Adams reportedly solicited funds from Qatar, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Israel, and China. However, it is not just Adams facing criminal charges against him. According to the Times, the former and interim police commissioner, a former building commissioner, the deputy mayor, and a phalanx of aides are facing similar charges or, at the very least, have had to meet with federal investigators over possible corruption charges. Adams hasn’t resigned yet as of writing, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time until he does.

Two NYFD Chiefs Arrested in Corruption Probe.

Last Monday, two New York City Fire Department (NYFD) chiefs were arrested concerning an ongoing corruption investigation. According to a report in Newsweek Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco are facing charges of bribery, making false statements, and wire fraud. The indictment against Saccavino and Cordasco alleges they accepted thousands of dollars in bribes for preferred treatment for specific individuals and companies. According to a report on ABC.com, they gave better fire safety inspections to entities willing to pay more. It is unclear what will happen next, but this could be the tip of the iceberg of corruption within the NYFD.

John Deere Facing 10 Million Dollar Fine from SEC.

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it was fining John Deere $10 million to resolve allegations that it breached the Foreign & Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). According to a report on a website called whistleblowersblog.org, Wirtgen Thailand, a subsidiary of John Deere, paid bribes to numerous Thai entities, including the Royal Thai Air Force and Department of Highways, to win government contracts. These bribes included but were not limited to cash payments, international travel, and visits to massage parlors. According to the SEC, when John Deere acquired Wirtgen Thailand, they failed to stop the bribery schemes from occurring. John Deere appears to be reaping what they have sown by failing to investigate their new acquisitions’ business practices.