Join The Hunt
We work with information in the public domain. In addition
to the Donald Trump projects and events on our timeline, there are many others
that we suspect are mob-connected - if not outright owned or controlled by
Semion himself. These include many global properties.
However, the following items did not land on our timeline
due to the opaqueness of Donald’s financials and hidden LLCs, and because we
could not find a solid source specifically connecting them to a known mob
associate (either through investigative journalism, US or allies intelligence
reports, &/or lawsuits).
We will keep digging. We invite you to join in. Anything you find, you can tweet to us at @CitJourno.
1974
Donald Trump gets Penn Central Railyards purchase option
His purchase option gives him the opportunity to buy the rail yards for $29M. His option lasts for 6 years.
Backed by Fred Trump
Donald’s “first foray” into business
Zoning fights go on through the mid-70s
Grand Jury investigation into how he got the option opened, closed 1979
Reference:
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Trump/Wayne-Barrett/9781682450796
1976
Commodore Hotel / Grand Hyatt purchased from Penn Central
Partners: Fred Trump, Hyatt Hotel
Trump and Ivana design the renovation.
References
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/01/ivana-trump-business-empire
1979
Criminal Investigation opened into how Trump got the Penn Central Railyards purchase option
A grand jury is convened to investigate how Donald obtained the option to purchase the rail yards. Trump dispatched Roy Cohn to talk to the US Attny about the investigation. Grand jury investigation goes away quietly. Trump gives up on the rail yards.
References
Trump: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Deals, the Downfall, the Reinvention By Wayne Barrett
1979
Alvin Malnik is denied a casino license by the NJ Gambling
Citing his ties to the mafia, the NJ Casino Commission denies Al Malnik a license.
Reference
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3516999-p0295.html#document/p20/a343829
1981
Plans Change For Barbizon
Trump drops plans to demolish the building to build a hotel and instead converts the building and the building next door into condominiums.
1981
Trump pays $13 Million to buy the Barbizon Plaza Hotel on Central Park South
It is a rent controlled and rent-stabilized building. He hires Citadel Management for “tenant resettlement”.
Trump does his best to evict all tenants. He fails.
Reference
1981
Donald Trump begins buying land for a casino in Atlantic City, NJ
He pays almost a 100% markup on a property purchased from a known mobster, Sal Testa. The straw purchaser is the secretary of Patrick T. McGahn, Jr, the uncle of Trump’s White House Counsel, Don McGahn. Teamsters, Genovese crime family do the concrete work.
Reference
1982
Trump purchases the New Jersey Generals USFL team.
According to David Cay Johnston's account of this saga, Trump's hubris is what took the league down. It folded in 1986.
Reference
1984
Harrah's at Trump Plaza Opens
Partner: Harrah’s Entertainment (owned by Holiday Inns). Cost: Harrah’s provides $220M in financing to build, pays Trump $24M construction management fee, and agrees to give Trump 50% of profits. Trump does not put any money in.
Reference
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/a_timeline_of_donald_trumps_30_years_in_nj.html
1984
Trump buys Hilton’s unfinished casino after Hilton denied gambling license.
He names it Trump’s Castle.
CEO = Ivana. She “signs all checks
Reference
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/01/ivana-trump-business-empire
1985
Trump buys the New York Foundling Hospital on the Upper East Side
Trump will raze to build the Trump Palace. Construction begins 1989, and it is completed in 1991.
Residents lobby to ban the tower. The New York Times criticizes its design.
1985
Trump closes on the purchase of Mar A Lago
1985
Donald Trump purchased the Penn Central Railyards for $115M
Trump buys the Penn Central railyards for $115M.
He lies to the press, saying he paid $95M. Could have bought for $28M had he not walked away from the option in 1979.
1985
Announces plans to build the world’s tallest building on the site.
The community protests.
Reference
1985
Trump buys out Holiday Inn's share of Harrah's at Trump Plaza, renames it Trump Plaza
1986
Trump promotes Wrestlemania IV and Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks
Both at Convention Hall, next door to Trump Plaza.
Reference
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/a_timeline_of_donald_trumps_30_years_in_nj.html
1986
Trump drops the eviction suit against the tenants of the Barbizon Plaza Hotel.
2001
Trump invited by Soviet Ambassador to Russia to discuss building hotels
He and Ivana visit Moscow and Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
Reference
1987
Trump proposes “Television City” plans for the former Penn Central Railyards on the West Side of Manhatan.
The city refuses.
Trump tries to bully Mayor Ed Koch. It doesn’t work.
Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/30/nyregion/celebrities-open-wallets-to-fight-trump-s-project.html
1987
Trump announces plans to build Trump Centre, a shopping mall/hotel in Paramus, NJ.
Plans withdrawn in 1991
Reference
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/a_timeline_of_donald_trumps_30_years_in_nj.html
1988
Trump Air established
Trump buys Eastern Air Shuttle from Frank Lorenzo’s Texas Air Corporation.
Reference
1989
Trump buys the Atlantis Casino Hotel in Atlantic City for $63M out of bankruptcy.
He renames it the Trump Regency and does not plan to reopen the casino.
1989
Trump Shuttle begins flying.
It goes to the creditors in 1992, when Trump defaults on his debt.
Reference
1991
Trump agrees to a revised proposal for the Penn Central Railyards, proposed by the community.
The development is plagued with delays.
It requires a move of the Westside Highway.
Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/06/nyregion/trump-revises-project-plan-for-west-side.html
1991
Trump defaults on his loans for Trump Shuttle
Ownership of the company is transferred to the bankers.
Reference
1992
Trump announces plans for a “Roman” theme park at the Meadowlands in NJ.
1992
Trump Castle and Trump Plaza file Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
1992
Trump gives the Trump Regency hotel back to the bank
Due to a financial restructuring, Trump gives the Trump Regency hotel back to the bank, but allows them to use the name Trump Regency.
Reference
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EAEAB8B26472ED9?p=AWNB
1993
Trump goes to Gary, Indiana, to seek a casino license for a riverboat casino.
City officials do not recommend Trump, due to concerns about the previous years’ Trump casino bankruptcies.
Reference
http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-spotty-casino-history-in-gary-indiana-2016-9
1993
Trump buys the Trump Regency back from Chemical Bank.
1993
Trump announces Six Flags Amusement Park in Atlantic City
Trump announces plans for a Six Flags park on the Atlantic City Steel Pier.
It is never built.
1994
Trump goes directly to the Indiana Gaming Commission in 1994 to apply for a casino license.
The state overruled city of Gary and grants Trump one of two licenses.
Trump overpromised and underdelivered. He did not make good on agreements to hire minority residents, and reneged on an agreement with the business partners with whom he applied for the license.
Reference
http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-spotty-casino-history-in-gary-indiana-2016-9
1994
Trump makes a deal to turn the Gulf and Western Building into the Trump International Hotel & Tower.
The renovation is viewed as gaudy and over the top by most Manhattanites.
Renovations are completed in 1997.
Reference
1994
Due to financial pressures, Trump is forced to give up control of the PCRY project.
He gives control to a group of Hong Kong based investors; they keep his name on the project and pay him construction and management fees. He keeps a minority stake.
Reference
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-01-27/donald-trump-s-track-record-on-deals
1994
IPO of 60% of holding company Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts
…which owned Trump Plaza led by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). Raises $140M, most of which goes to pay off debts personally guaranteed by Trump. From 1995-2009, Trump is chairman of the company. The company loses over $1bn during this time.
Reference
1994
Trump Ice (waterbottle company) founded
1996
Trump reopens the casino at the Trump Regency, Atlantic City
He renames the property “Trump’s World Fair” at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. It closes 1999.
Reference
1996
Trump buys the right to lease 40 Wall Street through 2059.
“Since Donald Trump took over 40 Wall St. in 1995, prosecutors have filed criminal charges against at least 29 people connected to 12 alleged scams tied to the building. Nine other firms have faced serious regulatory claims. Authorities prevailed in most but not all of the cases.”
Reference
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-trump-40-wall-street/
1996
Casino Boat next to Trump Castle in Atlantic City announced
It never does.
Reference
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/a_timeline_of_donald_trumps_30_years_in_nj.html
1997
Trump Castle renamed Trump Marina
1998
US Treasury investigates Trump Taj Mahal for cash reporting violations.
Trump Taj Mahal pays the US Treasury $477,000 and does not admit liability. It was the largest fine the government had given a casino for violating the Bank Secrecy Act (superseded by a $10M fine paid by the Taj Mahal in 2015)
1998
Russian market crash.
1998
Ivana Trump does business with and promotes Tel-Com Wireless TV
Tel-Com Wireless TV is connected to the Russian mafia, and a murder case. Tel-Com is investigated by the SEC in 1999.
Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/17/business/worldbusiness/telcom-sharesfrom-chic-to-shock.html
1999
Trump Model Management founded
Immigration violations, and poor treatment of employees.
It has been accused of being a front for sex trafficking for the global rape trade. Trump used the models to “seal deals.” Trump “met” Melania through the agency.
Reference
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/donald-trump-model-management-illegal-immigration/
1999
Trump World’s Fair closes.
2000
TD Trump Deutschland AG was founded (Trump Tower in Stuttgart, Germany).
Multiple lawsuits ensued including in June 2005 the German state attorney prosecuted TD Trump Deutschland AG for alleged accounting fraud. The company was dissolved in 2005.
2001
Trump World I (Seoul) construction completed
2001
Construction begins for Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
(Dezer Development)
2001
Trump purchases the Hotel Delmonico on the Upper East Side
2001
Trump World Tower construction completed
2002
Trump World II (Seoul) construction completed.
2002
Trump International Hotel Las Vegas announced
(construction begin 2005, complete 2008)
2002
Trump buys Bedminster estate
Former Bedminster estate of the late John De Lorean bought for $35 million.
2002
Dezers & Trump plan to build Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residences
2002
Trump International Hotel Las Vegas announced (construction begin 2005, complete 2008)
2003
Trump Ordered to Sell His Share of G.M. Building
2003
Construction begins on Trump Tower at City Center
2003
Bankruptcy! Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed Chapter 11. Renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts
2004
Trump National Bedminster, a private golf course, opens on the De Lorean site.
2004
Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts files for Chapter 11.
2004
Trump starts work on The Apprentice
2004
Daewoo Trump World III
2005
Trump Towers by the Sea (Trump Tower I, II and III) construction begins in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.
2005
Construction begins Trump International Hotel & Tower Fort Lauderdale
(ends 2008)
2005
Trump Tower Tampa announced.
2005
Trump University Opens
2005
Trump International Hotel & Tower New Orleans announced.
(Same day as Hurricane Katrina hits Miami). Cancelled in 2009.
2005
Trump World Marine (A, B, C) construction begins. (Busan, South Korea)
It’s completed in 2007.
2005
Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai first announced
2006
Investors are lined up for upcoming project, Trump Baja
It’s completed in 2007.
2006
Trump purchases a site in Ramat Gan, Israel
Bought for $44 million, where he plans to build the Trump Plaza Tower. (Land sold in 2007)
2006
Trump Towers Atlanta announced and confirmed.
The land was in foreclosure by 2010.
2007
Trump signs a deal to take over the troubled EnCap project at the Meadowlands
2007
1290 Avenue of the Americas in New York City.
Trump’s holdings include a 30 percent share.
2007
Construction begins for Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower (Panama)
2007
Trump announces plans for Charlotte, NC
Trump announces plans for upscale condos, a five-star hotel and offices at the corner of Trade and Stonewall streets in Charlotte, NC
2007
Trump Parc (Stamford, Connecticut) construction begins.
Completed in September 2009.
2007
Groundbreaking for Toronto's Trump International Hotel and Tower
2007
555 California Street in San Francisco purchased.
Trump’s holdings include a 30 percent share.
2008
Construction begins The Palm Trump International Hotel & Tower in Dubai
(ends 2011)
2008
Qatar’s state-owned carrier Qatar Airways becomes a tenant in Trump Tower in Manhattan
2008
Trump buys another course, Shadow Isle Golf Club in Colts Neck
2008
Trump Plaza Residences, a 55-story skyscraper in Jersey City, opens.
2009
Trump Entertainment Resorts files for Chapter 11
2009
Grand opening of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago
2009
Trump Tower Waikiki Hotel Opens in Hawaii
2009
Trump buys another course, Pine Hill Golf Club
Trump later reopens it as Trump National Philadelphia.
2011
Trump Winery Opens in Albemarle County
2011
Trump Tower Manila project announced
2011
HRH Construction, Donald Trump's former contractor, files for chapter 7 liquidation
2011
Landry's Inc., an international restaurant and gaming operator, is buying Trump Marina Hotel Casino
Bought for $38 million and will rebrand it with the iconic Golden Nugget name.
2011
Trump Marina is sold and reopens as the Golden Nugget.
2012
Trump purchases The Village at Trump National Golf Club, Charlotte
2012
Trump Tower project in Batumi, Georgia announced
2012
Trump Tower Punta del Este, Uruguay announced.
Property sales begin in 2013.
2012
Trump International Golf Links opens in Scotland
2013
Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver revealed
2013
Trump International Golf Club, Dubai announced.
Opens February, 2017.
2013
Trump Towers, Istanbul (Turkey) completed
2013
Trump announces Trump Tower Pune (India)
2014
Trump Plaza closes
2014
Trump Home by Dorya announced
2014
Trump Tower Mumbai announced
2014
Trump Tower in Tokyo completed
2014
Trump Entertainment Resorts files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
2014
Construction begins on high-rise Trump Bay Street
2014
Doonbeg golf club is purchased.
It will be rebranded Trump International Golf Links, Ireland
2015
Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx opens
2016
Trump’s Indonesia Projects, Still Moving Ahead, Create Potential Conflicts
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