A Norwegian, a Russian billionaire and Trump walk into... Concord NC?

June 24, 2017 5:52 PM

Why was that Russian billionaire in Charlotte? He was looking in on his investment. Alevo, a high tech battery company, brings major intrigue, a Russian oligarch, and President Trump to a small town outside Charlotte NC. From the Charlotte Observer. Adam Kahn outlines it all. Tracking the Yachts and Jets of the Mega-Rich.
posted by racersix6 (6 comments total)

These guys want to build huuuuge batteries to store excess power...but I think I saw an article the other day saying that exactly that shouldn't matter any more because power can be sent anywhere. Or something like that. I will try to find it....

Anyway, Uralkali is an awesome company name.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:46 PM on June 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Exactly! I can't even tell if it's a real company: "...His company Alevo Group apparently makes the new generation of batteries: faster, bigger and with an almost infinite lifespan. Alevo claims to be very pleased with the test results. Too bad that the product has never been sold to anyone or even shown to the public. And yet, despite no publicity and no proof of concept or product, Alevo has been valued at NOK13 billion ($1.55 billion)."

Or a money laundering operation: "...Thus far we already know that Rybolovlev bought a house from Trump a few years ago for more than twice what it was worth and then decided to tear it down. The transaction looked a lot like a Putin-controlled Russian oligarch funneling fifty million dollars into Trump’s pocket."

There are so many layers to the story, and they all appear to be corrupt...
posted by racersix6 at 8:50 PM on June 24, 2017 [9 favorites]

"This aircraft (M-KATE) is not available for public tracking per request from the owner/operator." ... since the NYT were looking someone has been in touch with FlightAware .
posted by southof40 at 3:33 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Money laundering was my first thought from that description of Alevo Group, as well.
posted by oheso at 5:03 AM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Enjoy some more strange tales of RU money laundering in American. This one involving motorcycle clubs, Spetnatz veterans, and Trump condos. Of course it takes place in Florida. Miami Herald "Russian Official Spent Millions on Miami Real Estate"
posted by C.A.S. at 1:32 PM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Anyway, Uralkali is an awesome company name.

Uralkali, c'est des russes de nos désirs
Uralkali, c'est plus d'argent, c'est le plaisir
Mais c'est un rêve, une folie
Il n'y a pas de Uralkali
Mais c'est un rêve, une folie
Il n'y a pas de Uralkali
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:51 AM on June 26, 2017 [4 favorites]