You guys rock the muckraking world, as always.

Stanford had himself one heck of a strategy... Lobbying Members of Congress at a private catered party in a Congressional hearing room!!

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/fullpage/caribbean-caucus-meets-with-heads-of-state-at-long-6.php

I'd like to learn more about the semi-mysterious head of the IAEC, CEO Barry Featherman. He's a well-dressed man, a lawyer, and someone who seems well connected to the OAS. Yet his biography seems to indicate most of his time was spent on a business venture in Mexico with the former US Defense Attache.

What else does Barry Scott Featherman do? Well, it appears he is on the EPA's National Advisory Committee to the U.S. Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Who appointed him for that? What are his environmental qualifications?

In 2000, he gave $500 to the Pennsylvania Dem Party. He listed himself as an attorney at "Featherman & Associates" at 200 Locust Street Apartment #107, Philadelphia, PA.

A recent IRS-filed 990 form has President Barry listing his address as Bally Tore Court #233, Yardley, PA. For his work as President, Barry is paid $0. Barry also lists another address were the IAEC's books are kept. That's at 845 Kedron Ave, Morton, PA. Kinda odd for a Washington-based nonprofit to have its books in Morton, PA. After all, IAEC's official address is 600 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #207, Washington, DC.

Christopher Thomas of 7505 Democracy Blvd #228, Bethesda, MD first appeared as Chairman of the organization.

Ramon Zertuche of 2449 40th St NW, Washington, DC appears Chairman of the Organization in the 2006 IRS filing.

Yet on IAEC's website, today is lists Zertuche as the "Executive Director" and Raul R. Herrera (from DC law firm Arnold & Porter's Corporate Securities Group) as Chairman. Considering Zertuche looks to be about 23 or 24, they probably did well by choosing an older chairman.

For the 2006 tax year, Featherman was paid $118,000 in salary. Zertuche was paid $50,300.

More "Sir Allen" antics:

For a few minutes at the Organization of the American States, the always elegant Inter-American Economic Council Gala looked like a scene from Animal House. Texan R. Allen Stanford, the honoree of the Council's 2006 Excellence in Leadership Award, (hunky enough to have appeared on Dallas), is also the visionary founder of a global wealth-management and financial services company, and a philanthropist. His projects range from St. Jude's Hospital to the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Awards, (whose 2005 honoree was Oprah), and include scholarships and grants of low-interest loans to small businesses across Latin America.

Laid-back Stanford also enjoys a joke, and he took it like a champion when, in retaliation for his bread-ball ambush of some of the group last year, they responded in kind, first announcing a special presentation for him, then pelting him as he stood waiting at the microphone.

The crowd of ambassadors, socialites and business men included Washington's former ambassador from Ecuador Ivonne Baki, now that country's Minister of Commerce (and one of the pelters), her artist and fashion-designer daughter, Tatiana Baki, Harriet Mayor Fulbright, Patricia Bennett Sagon and Barry Featherman.

From Washington Life Magazine, May 2006.

I see another potential red flag too.

You can look at IAEC's IRS filings through foundationcenter.org or guidestar.org.

When you do, you'll note that IAEC has two independent organizations -- a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. Both are based out of the same address in Washington, DC. And both are headed by Featherman et al.

The 501(c)(3) nonprofit is called the Inter-American Economic Council Foundation. They filed two 990's and reported no income in both. A 501(c)(3) is not allowed to lobby, but donors to the organization are allowed to deduct their contributions from their taxes.

The 501(c)(4) is called the Inter-American Economic Council. They have consistently filed 990's and have reported income. A 501(c)(4) is entitled to lobby, but donors to such an organization are not able to deduct their contributions from their taxes.

IAEC apparently ran on corporate contributions. If you browse their website, you can see their membership application form. Any chance they were mixing contributions through their two conduits - to give Corporate donors illegal tax breaks?

Thanks, C92. I posted a linked excerpt from an early version of the IAEC website here. The IAEC specifically states:

"The Centerpiece of the Council's actions will be its annual Encounters. The Council will convene these annual encounters on the occasions of the regular sessions of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States...The occasions of the Encounters will provide the participants as investors in the region, with unprecedented access to policymakers and insights into the business environment of the Hemisphere as it undergoes fundamental change."

Everyone including Jimmy Carter got into the act.

In 2004, the IAEC honored Gustav Cisneros. From the website:

"Amongst those joining the Council to honor Mr. Cisneros were ...Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick (Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations), Mr. Thomas "Mack" McLarty (Kissinger McLarty Associates), and Ambassador Peter Romero (Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs). The Honorable Dr. Henry Kissinger served as Honorary Gala Chairman and Mr. Raul Herrera (Head of Latin American Practice for Winston & Strawn LLP) served as Host Committee Chairman."

C92 and Mrs P - I'm loving it! Can this be the "end" if it? I doubt that!

According to the New York Times, "As Others Fled Venezuela, Stanford Saw A Chance":

CARACAS, Venezuela — In 2005, foreign investors were growing nervous about Venezuela as President Hugo Chávez began asserting greater control of the economy, but Stanford Group decided it was time to put down stakes.

snip

By 2007, the group, run by the Texas financier Robert Allen Stanford, had moved into a glittering new headquarters building in the heart of El Rosal, the city’s financial district, in a rare display of confidence in Venezuela’s economy at a time when companies in an array of industries were cutting their exposure to the country.

Stanford expanded its operations nationwide, luring clients in provincial cities like Maracaibo and Puerto Ordaz, and amassed an impressive list estimated at more than 10,000 clients. This country’s banking regulator estimates that Venezuelans placed about $2.5 billion into Stanford International.

The Times goes on to say that an official estimated up to 30% of Stanford International Bank’s $8 billion in reported assets last year came from Venezuelans.

But it would appear that Hugo Chavez' government was somewhat suspicious of Stanford's operations:

It was the second time in five months that Stanford was embroiled in intrigue in Venezuela. In late October, agents with the Military Intelligence Directorate carried out a raid on Stanford’s headquarters here. In statements to state television, government officials said the raid was related to suspicions of espionage by three Stanford employees.

They also claimed to be searching for information on offshore accounts held by Manuel Rosales, a prominent opposition politician who ran against Mr. Chávez for the presidency in 2006. Mr. Rosales is currently the mayor of Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second-largest city.

“They were seeking information on some former employees of the bank who were under investigation in an espionage case here in Venezuela,” said Ms. Hernández, the Stanford spokeswoman. “The case did not advance.”

Stanford has also previously drawn the gaze of law enforcement officials investigating money-laundering activity in the region.

And let us not forget the backdrop of the Bush Administration's policy on banking secrecy and terrorist finance (Time Magazine, Banking on Secrecy, 10/14/2001):

(circa late 2001) The US was all set to join a global crackdown on criminal and terrorist money havens earlier this year. Thirty industrial nations were ready to tighten the screws on offshore financial centers like Liechtenstein and Antigua, whose banks have the potential to hide and often help launder billions of dollars for drug cartels, global crime syndicates -- and groups like Osama bin Laden's al-Qadea organization. Then the Bush Administration took office

The Clinton Administration tried to crack down on such finance following the 1998 attacks on US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Guess who was mustering support against the Clinton Administration's efforts?

Former Treasury Officials say that among the most vociferous critics were officials from Texas banks... among the most outspoken were representatives of the International Bank of Commerce in Laredo, Laredo National Bank and Stanford Financial Group.

How did they do muster their political support? Donations to the RNC, of course. The head of the International Bank of Commerce in Laredo, a Bush Pioneer, gave $20,000 to the RNC and then $100,000 to the Florida recount effort.

How did the politicians respond?
"Republican Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, refused to let it come up for a vote in his Committee." And in early October 2001, "House republican leaders Dick Armey and Tom Delay thwarted efforts to include an anti-money-laundering bill in the chamber's antiterrorism legislation." (Keep in mind this was less than a monthy after September-11th -- and despite passing a catchall Patriot Act, the GOP somehow didn't want to deal with money laundering?)

(Tom DeLay was a most frequent traveler on Stanford's fleet of 6 jets).

What about Stanford?
"Texas bankers have kept Republican campaign money flowing in Bush's first year... $40,000 from Stanford Financial."

And how did Stanford feel about anti money laundering efforts? Apparently not too warmly. "We're supportive of any effort our government takes to track down terrorists," Yolanda Suarez, Stanford Financial's Chief of Staff told TIME.

(Yolanda Suarez is pictured in one of TPMM's photo montages of that fateful luncheon in a Congressional hearing room with Bob Ney, Allen Stanford, et al).

So just what was Allen Stanford up to?

Greed?
Bush crony capitalism?
International espionage?
All of the above?

Hopefully, time will tell.

C92, you are on a roll here!

Now I'm wondering about that bushco method of tracking funds wired here and there. I think that was being done in Europe somewhere, Belgium perhaps? The reason I'm thinking about this is that they were tracking money purportedly to stop terrorism, but would Stanford have been able to circumvent that? Or was he somehow involved with that somehow? Maybe I'm totally off the track here, but Stanford, as I understand it, has tentacles that reach around the world.

Just a thought. Or maybe a sidetrack. You be the judge!

Thanks for all your hard work and what you're able to dig up and post here.

C92, You'll get a chuckle out of this one. One of Stanford's oddball deals was an investment in Superior Galleries, a publicly traded rare coin business headed by one Silvano DiGenova. In a 2005 2005 Daily Kos post about the Ohio Coingate scandal, ePluribus Media pointed out that DiGenova was once a business partner of Tom Noe.

I read through the SEC filings and I can't get figure out who actually ended up with Superior Galleries.

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