WEBVTT

00:00:00.466 --> 00:00:01.898
COMMITTED CRIMES.               
>> ALL RIGHT.                   

00:00:02.033 --> 00:00:04.332
GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE.        
>> THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, SIR.

00:00:04.466 --> 00:00:08.132
APPRECIATE IT.                  
>>> FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MEMBER

00:00:08.266 --> 00:00:13.699
PAUL MANAFORT IS A KEY FIGURE IN
THE INVESTIGATIONS IN POSSIBLE  

00:00:13.833 --> 00:00:14.832
TIES TO RUSSIA.                 
AND NBC NEWS HAS EXCLUSIVE      

00:00:14.966 --> 00:00:17.798
INFORMATION ON SOME OF HIS      
BUSINESS DEALINGS THAT ARE      

00:00:17.933 --> 00:00:20.632
RAISING RED FLAGS.              
RICHARD ENGEL HAS THAT PART OF  

00:00:20.766 --> 00:00:23.798
THE STORY.                      
RICHARD, GOOD MORNING.          

00:00:23.933 --> 00:00:25.598
>> Reporter: GOOD MORNING, MATT.
SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE REPORTING ON

00:00:25.733 --> 00:00:28.965
SOME OFFSHORE BANK ACCOUNTS AND 
COMPANIES LINKED TO MANAFORT    

00:00:29.099 --> 00:00:35.499
THAT ARE NOW BEING LOOKED INTO. 
HE'S A FOCUS OF MULTIPLE        

00:00:35.566 --> 00:00:39.265
INVESTIGATIONS INTO PRESIDENT   
TRUMP'S INNER CIRCLE AND THE    

00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:41.865
POSSIBLE TIES TO RUSSIA, PAUL   
MANAFORT.                       

00:00:41.999 --> 00:00:47.165
AND LONG BEFORE HE WAS TRUMP'S  
CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN, MANAFORT WAS 

00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:52.099
PAID MILLIONS BY A RUSSIAN      
OLIGARCH CLOSE TO VLADIMIR      

00:00:52.300 --> 00:00:54.632
PUTIN.                          
AT ONE TIME, MANAFORT PROMISED  

00:00:54.766 --> 00:00:57.865
TO GREATLY BENEFIT THE PUTIN    
GOVERNMENT.                     

00:00:57.999 --> 00:01:00.731
NBC NEWS HAS LEARNED U.S.       
TREASURY DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS   

00:01:00.866 --> 00:01:03.098
ARE NOW FOLLOWING MANAFORT'S    
MONEY TRAIL.                    

00:01:03.233 --> 00:01:07.332
AN INVESTIGATION THAT'S LED THEM
AND US, TO A SMALL ISLAND IN THE

00:01:07.466 --> 00:01:09.765
MEDITERRANEAN.                  
TO FIND OUT MORE, WE CAME HERE  

00:01:09.899 --> 00:01:16.065
TO CYPRUS, TO THE CITY, WHO HAS 
A REPUTATION FOR ITS BEACHES AND

00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.698
A HUB FOR MONEY LAUNDERING.     
THIS IS WHERE SOME OF THE MONEY 

00:01:19.833 --> 00:01:22.965
MANAFORT GOT FROM THE RUSSIAN   
TYCOON WENT.                    

00:01:23.100 --> 00:01:26.165
BANKING SOURCES WITH DIRECT     
KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRANSACTIONS   

00:01:26.300 --> 00:01:29.165
TELL NBC NEWS, AT LEAST 15      
ACCOUNTS WERE OPENED IN CYPRUS  

00:01:29.300 --> 00:01:32.465
FOR MORE THAN TEN COMPANIES.    
ALL LINKED TO MANAFORT.         

00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:36.832
THE SOURCES SAY IN ONE CASE, A  
MILLION DOLLARS LANDED IN ONE OF

00:01:36.966 --> 00:01:38.899
THESE ACCOUNTS AND LEFT IT ON   
THE SAME DAY.                   

00:01:39.033 --> 00:01:42.999
>> MOVEMENTS OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF
MONEY, VERY QUICKLY IN AND OUT  

00:01:43.133 --> 00:01:51.298
OF ACCOUNT, IS VERY SIMILAR TO  
WHAT MONEY LAUNDERERS DO.       

00:01:51.432 --> 00:01:53.599
>> Reporter: THERE WAS A LOT OF 
MONEY INVOLVED.                 

00:01:53.733 --> 00:01:59.699
INCLUDING $18.9 MILLION TO BUY A
UKRAINIAN MEDIA COMPANY, FOR    

00:01:59.833 --> 00:02:05.965
THIS MAN, WHO ACCORDING TO      
WIKILEAKS, TWO TO THREE         

00:02:06.100 --> 00:02:08.332
OLIGARCHS THAT PUTIN TURNS TO ON
A REGULAR BASIS.                

00:02:08.466 --> 00:02:11.565
>> PAUL MANAFORT PLAYED A       
CRITICAL ROLE WITHIN THE TRUMP  

00:02:11.700 --> 00:02:13.399
CAMPAIGN.                       
AND WAS INVOLVED IN POTENTIALLY 

00:02:13.533 --> 00:02:17.165
RECEIVING PAYMENTS FROM RUSSIAN 
OLIGARCH CLOSE TO PUTIN.        

00:02:17.299 --> 00:02:21.365
THIS RAISES A LOT OF SERIOUS    
                                

00:02:21.499 --> 00:02:25.198
QUESTIONS.                      
>> Reporter: MANAFORT SAID HE   

00:02:25.333 --> 00:02:29.665
NEVER WORKED FOR THE RUSSIAN    
GOVERNMENT.                     

00:02:29.799 --> 00:02:36.699
AND DERIPASKA DENIED HE HIRED   
MANAFORT TO HELP THE PUTIN      

00:02:36.833 --> 00:02:38.365
GOVERNMENT, CALLING IT FAKE     
NEWS.                           

00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.731
BUT IN CYPRUS, WHO HAS TIGHTENED
CONTROLS OVER THE LAST FEW      

00:02:41.866 --> 00:02:48.465
YEARS, MANAFORT'S ACCOUNTS      
RAISED SUSPICIONS.              

00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:53.699
IN 2012, THE AUDIT SYSTEM AT    
LAIKI FLAGGED THE ACCOUNTS FOR  

00:02:53.833 --> 00:02:56.865
POSSIBLE MONEY LAUNDERING.      
ACCORDING TO SOURCES THAT WHEN  

00:02:56.999 --> 00:03:00.798
THE BANK ASKED FOR INFORMATION, 
MANAFORT CHOSE TO CLOSE         

00:03:00.932 --> 00:03:03.265
ACCOUNTS.                       
IN A STATEMENT TO NBC NEWS, A   

00:03:03.399 --> 00:03:06.665
SPOKESMAN SAID, ALL OF          
MANAFORT'S COMPANIES WERE       

00:03:06.799 --> 00:03:10.331
LEGITIMATE ENTITIES AND         
ESTABLISHED FOR LAWFUL ENDS.    

00:03:10.466 --> 00:03:13.131
ADDING, MR. MANAFORT HAS NO     
SPECIFIC PERSONAL RECOLLECTION  

00:03:13.266 --> 00:03:18.132
OF THE SHUTDOWN OF HIS CYPRUS   
ACCOUNTS, WHICH HE SAID TOOK    

00:03:18.266 --> 00:03:21.065
PLACE DURING A BANKING CRISIS ON
THE ISLAND.                     

00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.698
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN CYPRUS  
TELLS US HIS OFFICE HAS PROVIDED

00:03:24.832 --> 00:03:27.031
INFORMATION ABOUT               
MANAFORT-LINKED BUSINESSES ON   

00:03:27.166 --> 00:03:27.532
THE ISLAND TO U