NEW YORK _ A Russian oligarch sanctioned by the U.S. government deposited about $500,000 into the same bank account used by longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, according to her attorney, Michael Avenatti.
Viktor Vekselberg, a Kremlin-connected Russian billionaire who has reportedly been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, wired about $500,000 into a First Republic bank account that Cohen has admitted to setting up for the purpose of issuing a hush payment to Daniels, Avenatti alleges in a bombshell report released by his office Tuesday.
The money was routed to Cohen between January and August 2017 via eight separate payments from Columbus Nova, a Manhattan-based investment firm owned by Vekselberg's American cousin, Andrew Intrater, according to Avenatti. Vekselberg's first payment was issued "approximately 75 days" after Cohen gave Daniels $130,000, Avenatti said.
Daniels says she took the money in exchange for a promise to never speak publically about allegedly having sex with Trump in 2006.
Avenatti said Vekselberg's money "may have reimbursed" Cohen's hush payment to Daniels.
"Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen have a lot of explaining to do," Avenatti tweeted.
