He is an accomplished and a highly experienced global infrastructure investor, bringing more than two decades of relevant industry and transaction expertise to DigitalBridge. Part of the reason Barrack's actions are often described as illegal lobbying is because the language of Section 951 is similar to language of another law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. As the former chair of Trump's inauguration committee and one of his most successful campaign bundlers, Barrack used his unique advantages to accomplish concrete goals for the UAE. Besides conspiracy, Barrack was charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal agents. The indictment claims that Alshahhi worked as an agent of the UAE and was in frequent contact with Barrack and Grimes. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. What Tom Barrack's Arrest Means for DigitalBridge/Colony Capital "Al Malik concurred that, if the defendant successfully obtained an appointment to such an official position, it would make the defendant 'deliver more' for the UAE, making their efforts a '[v]ery effective operation.' Send it to The Daily Beasthere. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants used Barracks status as a senior outside advisor to the campaign and, subsequently, to senior U.S. government officials, to advance the interests of and provide intelligence to the UAE while simultaneously failing to notify the Attorney General that their actions were taken at the direction of senior UAE officials, a DOJ press release states. Abbe David Lowell of Washington, D.C., the lead attorney for Grimes, also weighed in, saying the financial agreement would apply to whomever represents Grimes in his defense. Tom Barrack and Matthew Grimes: Former Trump ally and associate analyse how our Sites are used. Barrack informally advised Trumps campaign between April and November 2016, then served as chairman of Trumps inaugural committee until January 2017. Ambassador to the UAE or Special Envoy to the Middle East, he advised Al Malik that any such appointment 'would give ABU DHABI more power!' When Barrack tried to get Trump to appoint him as either the U.S. ambassador to the UAE or as special envoy to the Middle East, he wrote al Malik that any such appointment would give ABU DHABI more power! Contacts. Trump Inaug Chief Indicted Over Alleged Failure To Register As - TPM Thomas Barrack, chairman and chief executive officer of Colony Capital Inc., gestures while speaking during the closing reception at the Milken Institute Japan Symposium in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, March 25, 2019. Barrack has made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset. Barrack and Grimes were arrested in California. Tom Barrack made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset, Herrington wrote in an email. The former chairman of Donald Trumps inaugural committee, Barrack was indicted last week of using his clout within the Trump administration to push the UAEs wish list within the U.S. government and in influential news outlets. Barrack pressed Trump to bring on Paul Manafort, a longtime Washington fixture and Republican lobbyist. A spokesperson for Barrack did not immediately return a request for comment. Barrack will live at his home in Aspen, Colorado, while he awaits trial. ", For the next two years, prosecutors allege, Barrack "sought and received direction and feedback, including talking points, from senior UAE officials in connection with national press appearances Barrack used to promote the interests of the UAE.". Matthew Grimes, managing director and chief investment officer of Falcon Peak Partners, departs from criminal court in New York, US, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Matthew Grimes, an Aspen, Colorado resident who worked for Barracks company Colony Capital, was arrested on the same day as his former boss and also pleaded not guilty. Former Aspen resident Matthew Grimes will have up to $2 million to mount his legal defense against federal criminal charges of foreign lobbying, and his former boss and co-defendant Thomas Barrack is footing the bill. Barrack spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016 about his friendship with Trump, even quipping that the candidate, in a business deal, played me like a Steinway Piano. In 2010, Colony Capital was among the investment firms that purchased Miramax from The Walt Disney Co., and Barrack served as chairman of the indie unit until it was sold in 2016. 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And in September 2017, Al Malik "communicated with Barrack about the opposition of the UAE to a proposed summit at Camp David to address an ongoing dispute between the State of Qatar, the UAE and other Middle Eastern governments, after which Barrack sought to advise the President of the United States against holding the Camp David summit," the Justice Department noted in its press release. Trump's Inaugural Committee Chair Arrested on Federal Charges During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. Thomas Barrack, founder and chairman of Colony Capital LLC, listens during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on July 18, 2016. Mark Kauzlarich | Bloomberg | Getty Images, Trump ally Tom Barrack arrested on foreign lobbying charges. Matthew Herrington, an attorney for Barrack, told CNBC that his client was arrested in Los Angeles "despite the fact that we've cooperated with this investigation from the outset. The indictment also claims that in December 2016, Barrack attended a meeting with Grimes, Alshahhi and senior UAE government officials, and Barrack advised them to create a wish list of U.S. foreign policy items that the UAE wanted from the incoming administration. As an informal advisor to the Trump campaign, transition and White House on Middle East issues, Barrack used his trusted position to recommend the UAE's desired policies, allow Emirati officials to edit talking points that he then passed to Trump, and advise the White House to pick UAE's desired candidate as the U.S. ambassador to the Gulf state consortium, prosecutors said. And the farthest Butina ever got to real power was a meeting with a Treasury Department official. Prosecutors also claim that Barrack and Grimes acquired a dedicated cell phone and secure messaging app for Barracks communications with senior UAE officials. For prosecutors, "charging 951 is the alternative to indicting them under the Espionage Act," said Michael Atkinson, inspector general of the Intelligence Community from 2018-20. Tom Barrack Former Colony Capital CEO Who Chaired Donald Trump's for the home team, referring to the UAE. The chairman of Trump's 2017 inaugural celebration, Barrack is the founder of the large private equity firm Colony Capital. Anthony Behar | Pool | Bloomberg | Getty Images, Alexander Fishenko and several accomplices were charged under Section 951. secretly working on behalf of the SVR while posing as a development banker in New York. We want to hear from you. Tom Barrack, once an informal adviser to Donald Trump and former CEO of Colony Capital, . Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Prosecutors allege that starting in April 2016, Barrack and Matthew Grimes, a junior employee at Colony Capital, conspired with Emirati national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi to leverage Barrack's access to Trump in order to carry out directives they received from top Emirati government officials. Have a tip or story idea? The UAE, where Trump maintained business ties before becoming president, established a key relationship to theU.S. during the Trump administration.