The Russian billionaire next door: Putin ally is tied to one of D.C.'s swankiest mansions
Source: Washington Post
Politics
The Russian billionaire next door: Putin ally is tied to one of D.C.s swankiest mansions
By Rosalind S. Helderman and Alice Crites November 29 at 8:00 AM
When Washingtons grand Haft mansion near Embassy Row changed hands in 2006, it was one of the most expensive home sales in the history of the city and one of its most mysterious.
The 23,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom home featuring Italian marble floors and a chandelier that had once hung in the Paris Opera House was sold by discount retail magnate Herbert Hafts widow for $15 million in cash to a company incorporated in Delaware, according to filings. The buyer was never identified.
But interviews and documents reveal for the first time that the mansion is connected to a Russian billionaire who is a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a longtime business associate of Paul Manafort, the recently indicted former chairman of President Trumps campaign.
The Washington Post found that for more than a decade, Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska has secretly held ties to one of Washingtons most prestigious addresses, a property in the heart of the city that is surrounded by powerful political figures and foreign embassies.
....
Rosalind Helderman is a political enterprise and investigations reporter for the Washington Post.
Follow @PostRoz
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-russian-tycoon-next-door-putin-ally-is-tied-to-one-of-dcs-swankiest-mansions/2017/11/28/15f913de-cef6-11e7-81bc-c55a220c8cbe_story.html
Retweeted by Dave Weigel: https://twitter.com/daveweigel
Pretty amazing @PostRoz find: Putin ally Oleg Deripaska is tied to mansion in heart of DC -- next door to Kellyanne Conway
Link to tweet
* * * * *
Herbert Haft owned Trak Auto, Dart Drug, Total Beverage, Crown Books, and part of Shoppers Food Warehouse. The Haft family imploded after Herbert Haft's death.
Herbert H. Haft (August 24, 1920 September 1, 2004) was a Washington, D.C. based businessman who was famous first for the development of discount stores in the drug store, bookstore, and auto part businesses, and later as a corporate raider.
....
Personal life
He was married to Gloria Haft for 45 years before divorcing; they had three children: Robert Haft, Ronald Haft, and Linda Haft. Haft was a member of Washington Hebrew Congregation. He and his family were engaged in a long-standing and bitter feud that culminated in his deathbed marriage to Myrna C. Ruben and the exclusion of his children from his will.
Herbert Haft died from heart disease on September 1, 2004, at a Washington D.C. hospital.
= new reply since forum marked as read
