-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Political Corruption Russian Mafia Connection to US Elections Not to worry. The flow goes both ways. Russian émigrés living in the US and believed by authorities to have links with organised crime have made campaign contributions to leading US candidates and political parties in what appears to be an effort to win political influence. Through family members and businesses, Semyon (Sam) Kislin - identified in a 1994 internal report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a member of a Russian crime syndicate - contributed $46,250 to the political campaign of New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican, in 1993 and 1997, election records show. The commodities trader also donated $8,000 to New York senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat, last year, and contributed to several other US political figures. The allegations against him were first publicised by the Center for Public Integrity, the Washington-based non-profit group, earlier this week. Mr Kislin has denied any links with organised crime. It also emerged that Jacob Bogatin, an associate of Semyon Mogilevich, who is himself alleged by US and UK intelligence authorities to be the head of a Russian crime syndicate, made donations to the National Republican Congressional Committee between 1996 and 1998. Mr Mogilevich has denied the allegations against him. Election records show Mr Bogatin contributed at least $2,750 to the Republican campaign group - sometimes under the name of his company, YBM Magnex. The Philadelphia-based magnet manufacturer, which was founded by Mr Bogatin with Mr Mogilevich, was raided and closed down by US authorities in May 1998. YBM Magnex pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was fined $3m in November 1999. These and other developments have prompted US investigators to start looking closely at Russian assets and investments in the country, particularly in the New York area, according to people close to the investigations. Though the political contributions traced so far are not large, they will fuel concerns that money from Russian organised crime could be finding its way into the political system. "When I was in the Department of State, from time to time we would hear of people associated with organised crime reaching out to members of the [Capitol] Hill," said Jonathan Winer, who until recently served as deputy secretary of state. "The administration briefed Hill members on more than one occasion." Mr Winer noted that those briefed by the State Department came from both main political parties, and on all occasions dropped contact with the figures under suspicion. In recent years, two Russian businessmen identified by US authorities as having links to Russian organised crime have turned up at Democratic fundraising events, despite being denied entry visas. Both have appeared in photographs with President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore. Yesterday, the office of Senator Schumer said it had performed a background check on Mr Kislin and found nothing on him. "If any of these allegations prove true, we will absolutely return the money," a spokesman said. Mr Giuliani's office could not be reached for comment. The Financial Times, December 24, 1999 Electronic Cash More on Debit Card Fraud Subject: Debit Card Fraud Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 11:08:01 -0500 From: "George McCallum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Organization: ARM Computer Techniques Inc. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Orlin: Re: the story from the (Toronto) Globe and Mail of December 10th, about the card-authorization terminal with the extra wires that allowed a merchant/crook to capture the PIN as the customer entered it... What the Globe and Mail didn't get straight (because reporters are usually so technologically-challenged that they don't ask the right questions) is that this 'tapping' was done, I am led to believe, on a four-year old card-authorization terminal from a supplier called Tilsmith, which has since been bought out, and which supplied terminals pretty much to only one bank, CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce). The issue about the Eastern European 'mafia' is correct, and the fact that they are investing in independent gas stations is correct, too. However, there are aspects of this story that aren't the case, any more: More importantly than the customer's PIN, the things that the crooks got from the old terminal were the Terminal ID, Merchant ID, and Pin-Pad ID and the injected encryption keys. Either they tapped the old terminal that they got from the bank (in which case these various IDs and keys were already injected into it, but they ran the risk that their scam would be discovered if the bank ever had to service, upgrade, or replace the terminal), or they managed to extract these IDs and keys from the bank's terminal and inject them into a second terminal which they had doctored. Either of these schemes was possible on the old Tilsmith terminal because it didn't have a security grid around the computer guts of the terminal. I understand this security grid is an electrical 'fence' that causes the encryption keys to be destroyed if the grid is breached. For the last few years, since barely after debit cards became popular, the banks have only been deploying card-authorization terminals with security grids in them. Are there still some old terminals out there? Obviously, the answer is: yes. But not many. This incident will probably cause the banks to spend a little of their record profits this year to buy enough new terminals to replace all that old insecure junk. Is the system in danger of collapse because of tampering? I don't think so. The young mountie that shot off his mouth was probably an apocalyptarian-- there seem to be a lot of them this season. George McCallum ARM Computer Techniques Inc., Suite 202, 2088 Yonge Street, Toronto, Canada M4S 2A3 (tel) 416-488-1757 (fax) 416-488-1758 (email) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sacred Days Celebrate the Unconquered Sun Roman soldiers loved Mithra. Party on, dude. There remains then this explanation, which is the most probable one, and held by most scholars in our time: the choice of December 25 was influenced by the fact that the Romans, from the time of Emperor Aurelian (275), had celebrated the feast of the sun god (Sol Invictus: the Unconquered Sun) on that day. December 25 was called the "Birthday of the Sun," and great pagan religious celebrations of the Mithras cult were held all through the empire. What was more natural than that the Christians celebrate the birth of Him Who was the "Light of the World" and the true "Sun of Justice" on this very day? The popes seem to have chosen December 25 precisely for the purpose of inspiring the people to turn from the worship of a material sun to the adoration of Christ the Lord. This thought is indicated in various writings of contemporary authors. Source: Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1958). ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
