Pam Cafritz reportedly left Keith Raniere some $8 million in her will.
She died in November 2016 after a long bout with cancer and after being dropped on the ground by Raniere, Adrian ‘Fluffy’ Fernandez, Mariana Fernandez, Esther Chiappone Carlson, Jim Del Negro, and Dr. Brandon Porter, the man who had checked her out of the hospital and was helping to carry her home to die.
After Pam, the longtime pimp woman of Raniere, expired – or just before she died – they put in her a bathtub and sent Jim and Esther to the store to get bags of ice.
They filled the bathtub with ice and let Pam lay there for some time as Keith supposedly made arrangements to have her body frozen in a cryogenic tomb, awaiting the day when, through his wonderful inventions, he would bring her back to life.
For weeks, Keith and his close minions kept it a secret that Pam had died, quite possibly because he needed time to arrange all her financial affairs as if she were still alive.
He [and Clare Bronfman] were later charged with using her credit card after she died to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
We were told by one insider that Keith was the sole legatee in Pam’s will – and that the sum she left him was $8 million.
It was believed that the $8 million was money that had been given to Pam from her well-to-do family. She is the daughter of the late William and Buffy Cafritz of Washington DC. William was a successful land developer and Buffy was known as one of DC’s leading socialites. Pam also had a brother.
While the Cafritz family was quite wealthy, another source close to Pam recently told Frank Report that the $8 million was not money that she had received from her family.
Since this may be of interest to the Department of Justice, I think we should hear out my source, who I know and can confirm was a friend of Pam and Keith’s at one time.
“No way Pam had gotten $8 million from her family. That was money Keith laundered over the years and put in her name at Key Bank in Clifton Park. While Pam came from a well-to-do family, they were disinclined to give her anything because of her relationship with Keith. They knew she would just give it to Keith and her family disapproved of her being in the cult and they hated what Keith did to her.
“Pam pretty much distanced herself from her family and they never gave her any lump sum of money.
“For years, they gave Pam an allowance. It was $20,000 per month for a long time. Then it went up. They did not want her to starve or live poorly but no way were they going to give her any big sum of cash. They knew it would go to Keith. For years, the mother was brokenhearted. She planned for Pam to stay in DC and be part of the family business, their dynasty. Pam was engaged to marry a nice guy from DC – and then she went on a skiing trip in Colorado which is where she met Keith and he seduced her that weekend and she came back to live with him in Albany.
“Soon enough, the family realized what was going on. They read the Forbes article. They tried to get her to come home but no way was she leaving Raniere. So they put her on an allowance which she always placed at Keith’s disposal. She and him lived off that money at various times when he was comparatively poor. But Pam never accumulated $8 million and I think your readers should know that. It is nonsense that he inherited that money from Pam.
“I believe Keith, through his Mexican money-laundering operation, put the money into Pam’s account over the years. Pam never had any savings. She and Keith spent her allowance as they went. Her allowance did go up when she got cancer. They were giving her more per month to pay for her cancer care. I think she got about $40,000 per month for about a year before she died.
“When Mr. Cafritz died, Pam did not get inheritance; her mother did. They were not going to give it to Keith. So I don’t know how in hell Pam had $8 million. I think it was the bulk cash smuggling they had done for years from Mexico. Some went to Nancy to hold onto in cash – and the rest was put into Pam’s account. You know Keith never put anything in his name. Of all the women, he trusted Pam the most, more than Nancy. He had the most control over Pam. She would do whatever he wanted.
“She would get him women – and unlike some of the others in the harem who were jealous, Pam was never jealous. She loved to watch him have sex with other women and join in too. For years Pam lived with Mariana and groomed her to be part of their threesome. They would sleep in the same bed and have sex with Keith together all the time. Pam would have no qualms about taking the money for Keith and putting it in her account. The government should ask Nancy about that. She might know that the $8 million was not Pam’s money but Keith did not tell Nancy everything either.
“I think the $8 million, or most of it was probably laundered from Mexico over the years, which Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman, Emiliano Salinas, Alex Betancourt, Edgar Boone, Clare Bronfman, and others brought to Keith.
“Alex and Emi had their own offshore accounts in Europe and I believe they secreted money for Keith as well. I doubt he has access to that money now. I do know Keith has full access to Pam’s estate money and he has a trustee handling the money for him. That is how he is paying his commissary and legal expenses for his appeal. He is draining the money pretty quick too.
“Clare is not presently paying his legal bills mostly because she can’t. Her money is tied up now. Keith is paying his own expenses with his own money, which he claims he inherited from Pam. He is slick alright. As long as the Bronfman money held out to pay his lawyers, he used that. Then he started using his $8 million stash. But don’t feel bad, Keith still has millions left.”
This might be worth looking into.
Stay tuned.
Frank Parlato 
Frank Parlato 
Guest View 
Janine Morrison 
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K.R. Claviger 
Richard Luthmann 
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Paul Serran
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal most cancers at age 57 in 2016. However there have been rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $eight million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her […]
[…] reportedly died of renal most cancers at age 57 in 2016. However there have been rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $eight million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal most cancers at age 57 in 2016. However there have been rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $eight million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
[…] reportedly died of renal cancer at age 57 in 2016. But there were rumors about Raniere poisoning her to get $8 million, which she allegedly bequeathed to him in her will. […]
If Raniere had legitimate access to $8M at the time of his arrest, why didn’t he put up the money needed to post bond? As I recall, the judge would not consider bond unless his own assets were at risk, to avoid flight. Raniere offered to put up other people’s money and to pay for guards. The judge said no.
He certainly wouldn’t endure prison just in an effort to keep or hide the money, would he? It makes NO sense.
Raniere also signed a sworn document under penalty of perjury that he essentially owned nothing, except for half of a condo unit, worth about $60k. However, just because Raniere did something that makes no sense doesn’t mean it doesn’t, as he is one of the smartest men in the world.
True, Orange. Great point!
I may have confused Keith as ‘executor’ with ‘beneficiary’ in the Will I hurriedly, rather surreptitiously, read — as “Pablo” astutely points out.
But why would the writer of this post be so certain Keith is using the money (instead of relying on Clare) for commissary, protection, etc. now?
I was pretty shocked at the more bizarre aspects and don’t know these legal terms. Do wish Frank would simply post it.
I’m having vivid nightmares over this post — Pam’s story — anyway. As horrible a person as Pam was, the Bluebeards pirated her entire life on a false promise of athletic success then ended it so painfully and prematurely on another huge lie of eternal glory for science and humanity.
Beautifully said, Heidi.
As I’ve said in a couple of places, if Cafritz’ money was rolled up into something like an irrevocable trust benefiting Raniere, he’d get the income from the stocks and bonds in the trust, but have no access to the principal.
We’d need to know exactly what happened with Cafritz’ estate – and we don’t.
It would not have mattered if Keith used his own money, he still would not have gotten bail.
Here is an informative article about it. I am posting the relevant parts.
https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/judge-says-no-bail-no-private-jail-for-keith-raniere
Judge Says No Bail, No ‘Private Jail’ For Alleged Sex Cult Leader Keith Raniere
“The court finds that the government has shown that the defendant is a flight risk,” the judge said.
A federal judge denied bail for alleged sex cult leader Keith Raniere on Tuesday, ridiculing his lawyers’ proposal to move him to a “private jail,” instead of the federal detention facility he’s in now.
“The private jail concept has problems,” Judge Nicholas G. Garufis said after the roughly hour-long hearing in Brooklyn federal court.
“It makes a mockery of the criminal justice system, where people can’t get $100 together to get off Rikers Island,” he added, referring to New York City’s notorious island jail.
To allay fears that Raniere might flee, his lawyers proposed that he be released with a GPS monitoring device and held in an apartment guarded by armed former law enforcement officers working for a private security company.
it allows rich defendants to buy their way out of pre-trial detention, while poor defendants are condemned to languish in actual jail while awaiting trial.
Much of Tuesday’s court hearing was taken up by a discussion about the equity of the proposal as well as the actual mechanics involved and the social implications of what Judge Garaufis said would amount to a “private jail.”
In the end, Judge Garaufis concluded that since Raniere was facing life imprisonment, he has “a strong motive to flee.” In addition, Judge Garaufis said, Raniere has “close personal ties to Mexico and “a number of adherents who could facilitate the defendant’s escape.”
“The court finds that the government has shown that the defendant is a flight risk,” Judge Garaufis concluded.
Great article Frank.
Does anyone know of video of Pam? It would be interesting to learn more about her. The photos with Keith are interesting. She looks a bit disgusted kissing him?
My understanding from early stories in the Frank Reports is that Pam Cafritz was bisexual but willing to sleep with Raniere in the early days of their relationship.
And Pam Cafritz had a major role in grooming the 12 year old girl Rhiannon for sex with Rhiannon.
Pamela Anne Cafritz was Keith’s 2nd in command in the sex ring, [He’s # 1.]
It was no great loss to the world, her passing, only that Keith lost his greatest pimp. Pam hired a 12 year old to “walk her dog” but really it was so Keith could rape her.
https://frankreport.com/2018/01/03/guest-view-pam-cafritz-death-not-a-loss-but-a-gain-for-humanity/
Thanks for the explanation friends
Nobody in the history of the planet ever met Pam and didn’t like her. That’s not to excuse what she is accused of doing. But, it’s the best/quickest way I can describe her.
From the Washington Post Legacy Page
William Cafritz died of Parkinson’s Disease.
CAFRITZ WILLIAM N.
CAFRITZ William N. Cafritz died peacefully at home on August 27, 2014 from natural causes. His parents were Dr. Edward and Mildred Cafritz. He is survived by his wife, Buffy, whom he cherished, and his adopted son, Sandy Wilkes (Helen), and his daughter, Pamela Cafritz, both of whom loved their father dearly. He is also survived by his devoted brother, James Cafritz (Linda), and his three wonderful granddaughters, Elizabeth, Courtney, and Stephanie. Bill Cafritz grew up in Washington, DC where he attended Sidwell Friends School and graduated from Devitt Preparatory School where he was a gifted student and athlete. His college days were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army. As a member of the 88th Infantry Division in Italy, he was wounded in combat as his unit fought to take Monterumici. He was awarded a Purple Heart and, after convalescing, was preparing to redeploy when the war ended. After his discharge, he attended The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and, soon thereafter, began a long and distinguished career as a real estate developer and investor; a career that continued until the time of his death. His projects included single family communities, garden apartments, retail centers and industrial parks. These projects were often pioneering and were frequently recognized with industry awards for their excellence and quality. His active and fulfilling life also included exemplary service to the Washington community as president of The Washington Performing Arts Society, a director of Kennedy Center Productions, Inc. and chairman of the Dacor-Bacon House building committee. He was a founding trustee of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, a member of the executive committee of the District of Columbia Building Industry Association and vice president of the Suburban Maryland Builders Association. Always a stellar athlete with a special fondness for sailing and tennis, it was later in life that he discovered a new passion. He became a painter and sculptor. He enthusiastically took classes at The Corcoran School of Art and was awarded a much-coveted prize for one of his sculptures. Cast in a bronze edition of three, his final sculpture captured his granddaughters sitting together happily in the company of their grandfather. With all of his accomplishments and the deep satisfaction that came from a life well-lived, it was his relationship with his wife, soul mate and companion, Buffy, that brought him his greatest joy and happiness. Theirs was a love for the ages and her endless devotion, care and encouragement during his long journey with Parkinson’s Disease was nothing short of remarkable. He will always be remembered by his family and friends as a man of unmatched kindness, impeccable integrity, indomitable spirit and zest for life. Funeral and interment services are private. The family suggests that donations in his honor might be made to Caring for Military Families, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 or The William Cafritz Sculpture Fund at The National Gallery of Art, 6th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20565.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?fhid=2167&n=william-n-cafritz&pid=172294912
He lived a long life of 89 years. It’s a shame Raniere got his claws into one of his daughters and likely shortened her life.
“…Potomac, Maryland.”
Small world. I live right around there.
Here is William Cafritz’s grave stone.
https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2016/77/159693033_1458340176.jpg
He is buried in Potomac, Maryland.
His wife and children are listed on the stone as survivors.
It appears Buffy is still alive.
Wife –Buffy
Children —
Pamela
Sandy
Helen
Courtney
Elizabeth
Stephanie
According to findagrave Buffy Cafritz might still be alive.
There is no obituary for Buffy Cafritz listed on the internet.
Presumably all of Pamela’s siblings are still alive.
So it seems Raniere, Clare Bronfman and NXIVM stole the rightful inheritance away from Buffy and her still living children.
Raniere, Clare Bronfma, and NXIVM only [willingly] stole money from Pam, not Buffy and all of her still living children.
And Pam Cafritz’s estate should go back to her heirs.
Her mother and siblings.
The mother and siblings have been silent. I conclude they have either disowned her and/or don’t want to go through the embarrassment of going after money they have no legal right to.
If there is no valid will, they do have the right to that money under New York intestacy laws.
They are the next of kin, not Keith Pervert Raniere.
My reasons stand, and you didn’t address them, as usual. LOL
OR they don’t want to be sued for damages by any of Pam’s alleged victims —
I’m reminded of Lauren Salzman’s testimony about what a “wicked woman” Pam was and while Pam certainly did victimize many, I believe one of the motives they had to kill her off was to blame more evil on the dead woman than she alone was culpable of. They tried to do that with Gina, too.
Buffy lives?! Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that Kristin Keeffe is the source of this (and much other) misinformation misguiding FR and FBI investigations (or not) in the NXIVM deaths?
Yes, H. I have an outright suspicion of Kristin Keefe. The unimpeachable Ms. Kristin Keefe. Find her far, far more interesting than the other Kristin, and yet..and yet, know so so little about her, her presence as it is, both everywhere and nowhere on the FR- The only credible source on Nxivm. What this does indicate to me, is grounds for secrecy, non-disclosure, things hidden.
Everyone has their Maginot line I guess. This is clearly Frank’s. Why though?
Frank did not print my reply to you, Anony.
I just don’t understand how Raniere would be able to continue to use that money when he’s suspected of being involved in Pam’s death.
Pam willed the money to him, granted — I know that much is true — but that only further proves motive and even method — made clear if one reads the outrageous document itself.
I was stunned when I read Pam’s will, myself. It’s insane — like a cryogenic death contract with Keith — she even wills her ovaries to him! It’s got Premeditated, cold frozen, bloody murder written all over it!
Frank, why don’t you post Pam’s will and let your readers see for themselves?
I feel strongly a murder investigation into Pam Caffritz death is warranted and were her parents alive they would have insisted upon one.
And, btw, where in the hell is her corpse?! Fuck. Doesn’t anyone get these people are mega insane —sneaking Pam half-dead outta St. Peter’s and icing her up in a tub?!
HELLO anyone from the NYS Medical Board: Ex-Dr. Brandon Porter was there.
…Anyone check for Pam’s remains under that crashed jacuzzi?
If Raniere is in any way responsible for Cafritz’s death by feeding her “Do Do” Balls or that strange milky white substance, then he does not get to inherit her estate, will or no will.
Moreover, if the will is fake in that the signature is forged, it should be voided.
Pam didn’t ‘will’ the money to Keith, you dumb retard.
Why not?
Because that would have required Keith to take possession of that money and would have required him to come onto the IRS radar.
Once that money is deposited into an account with Keith’s SSN — he cannot launder it again without committing crimes attributable to his own SSN.
Besides, with the convictions, fines and pending lawsuits —- Keith would NEVER own that money in his own name, since it would be taken from him instantly.
Keith was merely the executor of her will, as I understand it.
But after being arrested, he had somebody else takeover the position as executor.
Yes, he will likely control the person who officially inherits that money, since he is their Vanguard.
But technically speaking it’s not Keith’s money, so nobody can take it from him.
I challenge Frank to prove me wrong.
If Keith actually took possession of that money as one of his personal assets, I’d be shocked beyond belief.
Frank? Care to add anything?
Besides, you’re forgetting about TOD. if Pam wanted to officially give Keith that money immediately after her death —– she could have avoided going thru probate by simply designating Keith as the beneficiary of a TOD (Transfer on Death) certificate at her bank.
That would have given Keith possession of the account (legally) without having to go thru probate, which means he could spend the money without being charged with a crime.
But since that didn’t happen, we can surmise that Keith didn’t want his own name or SSN attached to that money after Pam’s death, which means it’s highly doubtful that Keith would have inherited those assets in his own name.
==Pam was engaged to marry a nice guy from DC – and then she went on a skiing trip in Colorado which is where she met Keith and he seduced her that weekend and she came back to live with him in Albany.==
This is hard to believe. In one weekend, chubby schlubby Keith got his hooks into Pam and changed the direction of her life?!
It is like a perverted version of Neil Simon’s The Heartbreak Kid
NiceGuy was going to marry Pam? LOL
“NiceGuy was going to marry Pam? LOL” Scott Johnson
Scott, Are you accusing NiceGuy of necrophilia?
Sure, why not. LOL
The engagement to a D.C. socialite part is partly true. I was there at 3 Flintlock Lane when ‘they’ got back from the ski trip ‘they’ picked Pam up on. I recall the deets a bit differently according to what I was told.
Pam’s parents supposedly wanted her to continue to vie for marriage to a louse who had broken her heart and hymen — a cheater — but KAR & Co. helped her see the (blue) light and avoid a life of servitude to the classist, sexist patriarchal social mores she was programmed with growing up in privilege. Whereas Keith could mentor her into realizing her Olympic Gold dream as a runner.
(I did a tarot card reading for Pam at Gina & Kristin’s request. Gina did not know Keith was having sex with her until much later and was heartbroken herself when she found out. Kristin did, I think.).
Also, I thought it was a local ski trip and Karen U. at least was on it but I’m fuzzy on that.
In any case, Pam’s family connections made her a target of Keith’s corrupting affections from the start. Kristin didn’t mind that. Gina was suspicious and despondent she couldn’t compete being from a lower class without connections. That I remember. Plus, Pam was drop dead gorgeous those days.
==Pam was drop dead gorgeous those days.==
Realy?! The two middle photos of her hugging Keith make her seem like she had dropped dead a week ago.
Not the most flattering photos of Pam, true. Begs the question: who took them? I know I first saw them at Toni Natalie’s home in December of 2011. (Not to imply that Toni could have EVER possibly guessed that Keith was ever ‘unfaithful’ to her with Pam…which Toni adamantly denied.)
“I did a tarot card reading for Pam at Gina & Kristin’s request.” That’s all I need to know, space cadet. LOL
Scott Johnson, permanently in the tower, nothing but sword energy, five of pentacles. The world in reverse.
Lucky draw. LOL
Great insider report. Seeing some confirmation of the details of how Cafritz interacted with the other woman, and played the role of procurer and cuckquean, is almost the most interesting part.
Having some familiarity with wealth management, the first question I’d ask is if Cafritz got money, or capital, from her grandparents (as the Bronfman sisters apparently did from theirs, in addition to their patrimony). If her parents were giving her an allowance, that probably rules out any significant amount of such a generation-skipping inheritance; though it’s still possible that was just to augment the income from some smaller inheritance she already had, the capital of which could be a million dollars or more.
The next thing to look at is that income stream – $240,000 per year over something like 30 years she was with Raniere, is between $7 and $8 million total, not taking into account whatever was spent, of course, but also not of a significant amount having possibly been invested and grown in value with the stock markets (just $120,000 invested in 1990 could have grown to close to $2 million today). It seems she was living a $2,000 to $4,000 a month condo lifestyle like the rest of them, so that leaves a lot of cash flow to be accounted for.
While Cafritz might have been pouring her income beyond living expenses into NXIVM, and Raniere’s lifestyle, it would make no particular sense for NXIVM and Raniere to then be giving her laundered money – she might as well just sit on her own, clean, money, invest what she wasn’t spending and let it grow. It’s possible that there was some sort of subterfuge going on – and so the exact origins of money in Cafritz’ estate should be investigated – but the source for this article may have made mistaken assumptions about the nature of her wealth, not fully understanding how such things work.
Seeing how Raniere burned through anyone’s money he could get his hands on, like Barbara Bouchey’s, there must be an interesting story behind how Cafritz ended up with anything at all. Given that the money is not safely overseas where, say, Raniere could have fled to live off of it in Switzerland (which rarely expedites people to the US), Dubai (a cushy place for expats, with no extradition treaty at all) or even Venezuela (convenient to Mexico), whatever was done probably does not actually involve some sort of cunning criminal strategy.
The $8 million could also be a combination of her handout from her parents/grandparents AND laundered money, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
You’re right that’s one of the possibilities.
There could have been years that all of Cafritz’ discretionary income went to NXIVM and Raniere, and others that they had more money they wanted to stash than she had income. Which suggests another interesting possibility, since her estate ended up with about as much money as her parents had given her, that she gave money to NXIVM in some years that was repaid in others – it could be that that because of her key long-term position, she was one person with money that Raniere couldn’t just rip off.
Whatever the case, it seems likely that there is more complexity to it than the sketchy information we have can explain.
That was a lot of words just to agree with me. As usual. LOL
I discussed some important nuances you hadn’t.
If Cafritz was just essentially repaid money she had put into NXIVM at times, it’s not necessarily “laundered” money, and thus it could be hard to challenge its legitimacy.
As an aside…
Your comment about Keith theoretically living safely overseas using money deposited in Switzerland (or wherever) isn’t very plausible.
Why?
Because although ‘extradition’ (of people) isn’t possible from many places, it’s virtually IMPOSSIBLE to hide money from the US Treasury department in any foreign country —- because the US will ‘blacklist’ any foreign bank that doesn’t comply with US money laundering laws, which is a virtual death sentence for many foreign banks.
‘Blacklisting’ means those banks cannot have any dealings with the US banking system, US financial system or any other US businesses.
That’s why Swiss banks began turning over their records of US citizens to the US Treasury Department. Look it up on the Internet.
All Swiss banks comply with US money laundering laws now. Same with any respectable Arab, Asian, Cayman or South American banks.
All US citizens will be reported to the IRS by most foreign banks —– because there’s no such thing as anonymous numbered accounts anymore (numbered accounts exist, but the owners must show their passport when opening an account).
US citizens cannot hide money anymore unless they’re dealing with a rogue bank that doesn’t care about being blacklisted by the US treasury, which is rare.
Besides, if you’re dealing with a rogue bank that doesn’t care about being blacklisted (such as a bank controlled by a dictatorship) then the chances are high that such a bank can steal your money with no recourse. Not a very secure place to keep your life savings, LOL, even if it’s safe from the IRS.
Even Mexican and Colombian drug cartel leaders (who had hundreds of millions stashed in offshore tax haven banks) had their records turned over to the DEA in the 1990’s, since the banks were threatened by Bill Clinton’s administration with being blacklisted from the US financial system if they didn’t comply —- so they were only too happy to comply even when dealing with HUGE amounts of drug cartel cash.
Economic pressure is more powerful than nationalistic pride.
Trust me, your idea of hiding money offshore was stopped in the 1990’s.
You’d need a fake passport to do it nowadays (which says you’re not a US citizen) —– but that creates even more banking problems, since you’d risk losing access to that money forever if/when the fake passport is verified with its host country and exposed as a fake. Not really worth risking your life savings like that.
With an American accent, your passport would be flagged for closer inspection if it wasn’t issued by the USA. Not really a safe thing to try since you’d risk losing your money forever if caught with a fake passport later.
As long as money isn’t being hidden or laundered, there’s nothing illegal about – or preventing someone from – transferring legitimate assets overseas, or doing something more sophisticated like say buying property that might generate income (Clare Bronfman’s Fijian island, in which Raniere may have an interest, is an example). While living in the US or maintaining US citizenship, people remain legally bound to the US, yes – but some expats go ahead and finally cut that tie:
Americans Renouncing Citizenship? Not What You Might Think
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2018/12/03/americans-renouncing-citizenship-not-what-you-might-think/#450a49f97d22
I’ve looked into moving overseas and taking retirement assets with me, so trust me, I actually know about how this works when done aboveboard. I had a former business partner who turned out to be one of those vindictive pathological types willing to spend money on lawyers just out of spite – it turned out they were in a cult of sorts as well, so I’ve had more than my share of real-life run-ins – but fortunately the threat to pull up the gangplanks and sail off helped force them into a reasonable resolution of things. As a result I now have a legitimate second passport from another country, though.
How could Raniere have access to money when he signed a sworn document that he is broke, shortly after being arrested?
You’re damn right it’s worth looking into. There’s no reason VanGrifter should be getting a stipend with no alleged assets. The government can easily find out where the $8 million came from. If it didn’t come from anywhere that is traceable, well, then you have your answer.