Bonus Ep 1: The Umbrella of Protection

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“Whoever you root for. Why do I wash the work up? That's what I ask me. Why do I breed?”

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Hi listeners, I'm Michelle, host of the Kingdom of Fraud podcast.

And I'm excited to share this incredible story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can

get access to all episodes of Kingdom of Fraud. 100% ad-free in one week early through the iHark True Crime Plus subscription available exclusively on Apple podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart topping True Crime shows you love. Like the girlfriend, the trail, the godmother, paper goes, picked in massacre, murder homes, unrestorable, and more. So don't wait, head to Apple podcasts search for iHark True Crime Plus and subscribe today.

[music playing] Navo. My obsession with Jacob and Levant's stories started with a tip-off I got years ago from a source about a corrupt FBI agent who is leaking classified intelligence to underworld figures through a guy named Edgar Sargizin, a close confidant of Levant's.

“For me, corruption is the most crucial part of this entire story.”

When you follow all of the connections surrounding Jacob and Levant's half a billion dollar

fraud, you discover a plethora of law enforcement officials on the take. Jacob Kingston knew these people as the boys, or the umbrella of protection. We've talked about that on the show before, but for me, I want to go further than that, because the corruption in this case is dangerous. We're talking about high-level law enforcement officials selling their badges, agents and cops from the Department of Justice,

homeland security, local police, and more. Not to mention alleged links to some shadowy clandestine types, too, and powerful politicians. From the teams at Navo and I-Hard Podcasts, this is Kingdom of Fraud, bonus episode one, the umbrella of protection.

to help me unravel who the boys were, and why they represent one of the most appalling parts

of this case. Hey Michelle, I can't wait to get into this part of the story because it really feels like it's straight out of a gritty old school crime film full of CD cops, conspiring in the background, but the thing is it's real, like this is real corruption, that has been proven surrounding this case. Wow, this is very, very real. Most of the people we are talking about today have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of

bribery and other crimes, and we've been digging through these court records you and I now for more than a year and for me years. Yeah, yeah, it's in a long time. So there's so much

“salacious details in here about what these dirty cops did. I think let's start at the very beginning”

about how the boys as Jacob knew them, how they were first brought together. So where does all

of this begin, Michelle? This all begins in Beverly Hills in a very exclusive nightclub. It's a cigar bar called the Grand Tavana Room, and that's where Edgar Sorgugian hangs out. Edgar drives to work every day on Rodeo Drive in a law firm that he ran in a Rolls-Royce Phantom. The only problem is it wasn't really a law firm because Edgar was not really a lawyer. Turns out he had paid someone to take the California bar for him, and then he set up shop on the

most exclusive street in Los Angeles, Rodeo Drive. And he spent most of his time in this fancy nightclub. These are the places where these dirty agents began to move through. And Edgar was to everybody around him, a lawyer. Only he wasn't. What he really was was a credit card fraudster who was running what they call a pump and dump operation out of that fake law firm. He would steal the identities of J1 visa holders that were in the country temporarily. And he would open credit cards in

their name and jack them up. And then he used that cash to spread it around political circles on his law office walls. He had these photos of these very important political figures. There's something very L.A. about that, isn't there? Just sort of this fake veneer of power and

“influence, but it's all dirty cash that he stole. I think the other important thing to say is that”

Edgar is also Armenian, like Levon, and they connected, and they started working together, and over time Edgar became really close with Levon and became, as Levon put it at one point, his right hand man. So Edgar had a close relationship with Levon, and at the same time he was out there doing his own credit card fraud thing, and trying to spread that money around to

get himself access to powerful people, and in places like the Havana club, he came across people,

like Babak Bromand and FBI agent. And so that's where their relationship started. That's exactly right. So Edgar talked about how he spotted him. He was a guy who wanted a certain lifestyle. He was swaggering around the FBI field office in San Francisco, where he started his career, where in a Gucci belt and fancy clothes. Didn't Edgar say that he knew he was going to be easily corrupted because Babak already dressed like a wannabe wise guy. That's exactly right. He saw a guy

who could be corrupted because he had a taste for the finer things in life. You know, he asked Babak how much do you make. Oh, come on. You're worth much more than that. Look at all the dangerous things that you do. Edgar asked if he was willing to quote, do a little something on the side in exchange

“for $10,000 a month in cash. So that's how their relationship really started. And by then he had”

already had people like Homeland Security Investigations agent Felix this narrows in the circle. Felix had a long history of working with Le Mans in various capacities. That's where Glendale police detective John Ballion also in Armenian and these circles. These are the people that were the core of the boys. Right. Yeah. So there was this group of people that had collected around Levant and Babak Beaumont is like a really good example of how that relationship starts.

And just to be clear, Babak Beaumont was like a pretty big deal inside the FBI. I mean, on his own LinkedIn page, Babak Beaumont says that his achievements at the FBI involved thwarting threats to Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Area schools, that he was promoted to acting supervisor of a white-collar squad, that he was promoted to Investigations Manager to manage

So this was a guy who was a big deal in the agency. Well, this is what made this so infuriating

“to me. Because this was a guy whose area of expertise was called Humant. It's human intelligence.”

This is the business of recruiting sources with access to criminal underworlds and terror groups. And what Edgar's motive was to flip Babak Beaumont is to make himself look good in front of Levant. So Edgar introduced Babak to Levant in this hotel bar. Jake, ironically, this is one of my favorite hotels in Babak Beaumont Hills. It's all happening there. It's all happening at the Montage. What's what's the Montage like? The Montage is like a very high-end hotel, you know,

if you can imagine, I've taken a standard paddleboard class and it's pool. So this is like a very nice location in Babak Beaumont Hills. Did you see any dirty deals being done while you were doing your class at the Montage? No, but every time I go to the Montage now, I look around and wonder who is the next Levant, who has stepped up now that Levant is incarcerated. And I just want to give you a brief description of it. This is the heart of Babak Beaumont Hills.

It's where the giant pink Babak Beaumont Hills sign is. And it's this beautiful courtyard.

And I can just picture Levant, who is always impeccably dressed, holding court at a table.

And this is where this dirty FBI agent felt comfortable enough, meeting with a purported Armenian organized crime figure in the middle of a bar that is pretty packed most of the time. And Edgar testified that Levant was being really aggressive during this meet and greet when he was meeting Babak. Apparently when Beaumont offered to give Levant a tour of his office in San Francisco in the FBI office, Levant replied, "I'm your boss. I can give you a tour of your own office."

Can you imagine this is a guy who's bringing these people to San Francisco to walk around the FBI field office when they're a target of the FBI? Yeah. I mean, it's pretty extraordinary, but it's it's on brand full of wine. Yeah. I'm your boss. And all of this is happening around the years between 2015 and 2017. So these are years when federal agents from a variety of task courses and different law enforcement officials from a variety of agencies are looking at Levant and they

are looking at Jacob and they're looking at all the people surrounding them. Jake, think about this. There are so many agencies, so much of our money. Again, this comes back to taxpayer money that's being spent in efforts to take them down. There are all these agencies stepping on each other and no one's looking anybody up. Yeah. Now, this is goes on for years. They watch, Bob McBrowman, run up a tab for $17,000 at a nightclub with Edgar that's going to no

“boo at Caesar's Palace. This is all happening way, way out into the open. And for me, I think that was”

what was so enraging as a investigative story is just seeing how brazen they were about this corruption and no one did anything about it. Like you say, Michelle, this went on for years. I mean, Edgar's own plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to corruptly giving an offering, Bob McBrowman. Approximately 95 and a half thousand dollars between 2015 and 2017. Don't forget about that $36,000 do Kati, the motorcycle and all the gear to go with it that they bought at a little stop and Beverly Hills.

So it wasn't just cash. But Michelle, what was the thing that Bob McBrowman was doing for Edgar? Well, Bob McBrowman queries both Levant, Tremenzian and Edgar Sarkesian in the FBI databases and sure enough, there is an LA best. So this is a task force and they have identified Levant as a target. Now this for Edgar means that Bob McBrowman is legit. He is going to use his access and his badge to help them out. It reveals that there is active law enforcement interest

while Levant at the same time is in the middle of this outrageous fraud with Jacob. So all this time, Levant is aware supposedly that he's being looked at by investigators very closely. But

“one of the craziest stories to me, Jake. You recall when Katoffy was taken down?”

Some one more Katoffy, who was the Libyan dictator. Yeah, the Libyan dictator. Katoffy

had smuggled $2.5 billion out of Libya before the Arab Spring. Anyone can google this, but

there is now a gold hunt. So Bobock tells Edgar, he knows this Libyan general, who would help

private jet. So they could fly into Africa with some armed security pick up the money and fly out.

“Bromend actually looked up the words Katoffy money in the FBI databases, but ultimately he decided”

the opus probably too risky while he was still an FBI employee. You know, this is stuff that came out in open court, just for posterity. A lot of this information comes from Edgar directly, but Bromend's own attorney calls Edgar an unreliable con man. But then again, Bobock Bromend was

convicted. But you know, the story that cracks me up is how they got caught in the first place.

The story of how they got taken down is hilarious. It's so small time. Jake, will you take us through that story after the break? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So after the break, how Bobock Bromend got busted. The lean, instant oil change presents wisdom from the road. Some remains wide open spaces in a whole lot of extra miles. The last place you want your engine to give out is halfway to nowhere. Out here,

“low oil or a weak battery is just an ambush way to happen. That's why every oil change at”

Ballveline is the loyal change of glutes at 18 point maintenance check. These texture trained to help spot issues early and give you a run easy. Strange wisely. In the moment, it felt like it was going on forever. I didn't think I was going to live. I was terrified. There was no anything inside those eyes.

They turned black. It scared the hell out of me. That was your first murder case.

Yes, sure. Fear to say this was the biggest case here, career. Yes, sir. Red Lamar River, China's 12-year-old child. The battles it gets. I would think so. People wake up and the one that saw the murder, take place by crevents and the people. Anthony DiPipo showed no signs of remorse appearing unfazed after being sentenced to the maximum. I said I'm not guilty, I'll take it to the grave.

Listen to the devil's quarry on the Ihard radio app. Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the devil's quarry add free with exclusive content. Subscribe to Love of For Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football, at home. Why do I wash the world cup? That's like asking me,

“"Why do I breed?" I inherited that fandom from my mom. I think watching it will fight”

that. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari and this is American Football. I show about soccer culture in the US and it's under dog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I took an elbow to my head which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that though. Are they the only ones I don't like?

Actually, nobody likes that. As we get ready for the men's world cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the Michael Thuda podcast network. Available on the Ihard Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kattby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kattby. Okay, if you know me,

you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help

maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and it helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand post-partner depression. I was not

prepared for post-partner anxiety. Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice, but to be a gymnast. There is something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kattby on the Ihard Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

this incredible story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can get access to all

“episodes of Kingdom of Fraud. 100% ad-free, and one week early, through the Ihard True Crime Plus”

subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart topping True Crime shows you love, like the girlfriends, the trail, the godmother, paper goes, piked in massacre, murder homes, unrestorable, and more. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts, search for Ihard True Crime Plus, and subscribe today. One of the ways that alarm bells were wrong about Bobog Bromans and Edgar's relationship was that

one day, a cop did a traffic stop of Edgar Starkesian, a cop, spots Edgar without a plate, a license plate,

on one of his stupid luxury vehicles. So he gets pulled over. And the first thing Edgar does is

slide this FBI parking placard to the cop, and the cop's like what the hell is this? The reason

“the card doesn't have plates is because, well, sometimes the FBI uses it for long-forcement purposes,”

Edgar said. Now, obviously, the cop is like this seems pretty faggasey, but on the back of this placard, there is a business card. And the business card belongs to Bobog Bromans. The cop actually calls the FBI field office and relays this. This is what gets them caught. This idiot didn't want to pay for parking. Not only that he didn't want to pay for parking, but I was reading an affidavit written by one of the agents investigating Edgar. And this agent says Edgar loved how federal agents like

Bromans could park wherever they wanted. And that Edgar wished that he could do the same. That was literally the reason. So he told Bromans about this and Bromans gave it to him as a as a sort of gift. Well, for me, it was such a metaphor for how small time Bromans had become like what he sold his integrity, his career, his reputation, our safety most importantly, he sold all of that out for less than a hundred grand in a motorcycle and some parties and nice dinners.

And he was being paid off by somebody who's ambitions were like as low as just wanting to park wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. But it's insidious. This kind of attitude towards power and privilege. It seems small time, but it's actually that attitude is because it's corruption. It's just the guys like this wanting to have a little bit more status and a little bit more power.

“That's exactly why this is so important what we're talking about with the corruption. This does”

have ramifications. And you know what? He was sentenced to six years in federal prison. He did exactly two and a half. He's free. Not only did Babak Bromans get the sentence six years, which that's up to every person individually to figure out whether that feels like enough for the stuff that we've discussed or not. But at his sentenceing, he still had people bouching on his behalf to encourage the judge to be lenient with him. So an FBI insider, a retired top intelligence

official, Frank Montoya Jr., he asked the court to show Babak Bromans mercy because he said he quote, worked in tough and dangerous places with little to protect him, but his own wits. And so there's just a sense of like the insiders protecting each other. Though just to be clear, Frank Montoya Jr. has not been accused of any wrongdoing here. One thing to mention here is, and this is one of the things I find most fascinating about this entire story is the kind of weak alliances. Everybody in

these circles has. The alliances between Jacob and Leven, where Jacob essentially ultimately turns

on Leven and testifies against him. And Darylione, their Miami music hopeful logistics guy, who essentially ends up turning on them and cooperating as the first really meaningful cooperator. It just feels like the alliances in this story are really weak. Nobody trusts anyone. They're only as strong as what's convenient for everyone person at any one point in time. And that plays out here in the stories of the boys because the main reason we know all the detail we

know about Babak Bromans is because the guy who was paying him off ultimately decided to cooperate with the feds and testify against him, Edgar. By the way, Edgar is also a freeman, despite the

gave information to the feds on. We couldn't get into this in the main series, but it's one

“of my favorite bits of tape that we thought from an interview. Edgar Sergesean also played a big”

role in the IRS investigation into Jacob and Leven's fraud. Now, Tyler Hatcher, who's the IRS agent, he told us that after the team uncovered that there is this guy, Edgar Sergesean, and that he has financial links with Leven, Tyler himself grove out to Edgar's house to interview him. He didn't know anything about Edgar. He didn't know really anything about Leven. He knew very little about the fraud at this stage, but he just knew that Edgar was a guy connected to Leven.

So we roll up to his house in Calvassus, and it looks kind of small, but it has this beautiful pool and this view out off of this ledge into the valley, absolutely gorgeous house. We literally sit by the pool, the maid brings us this beautiful fruit and snack thing, then like we sit down and have like a two-hour conversation with him. And he told us like everything, told us everything from the gate. He had already fallen out with Leven by that point in time.

“He told us how Leven operated and that's how he kind of got. Like Edgar was the first person”

I got to interview from Leven's true inner circle. So he told us he had figured out that S.B.K. was

basically just a flow through to get money to turn. He didn't know like the entire story,

but he knew enough to where I could start piecing everything together. This was after Edgar's and Leven's relationship sour. After Leven put this lawsuit on him, we mentioned earlier in the series. By the sounds of it, Edgar invited this federal agent into his house who started asking questions about Leven and it was Edgar who was unlocked the connection to Turkey and the legit link to baron cork mass. Remember, he plays an important role with Tyler Hatcher because

that's how they got Leven to come to the IRS building. The fight he had had with Edgar became so

“intense that he was pissed off enough to go to the IRS and say my guy Edgar stole my jet”

and stole some money for me. I find Edgar's repeating role inside the story so fascinating. And there's more. Obviously, Babak Brahman, we've gone in depth about him. He wasn't the only law enforcement official who was linked with Leven and working with Edgar and who was done for corruption ultimately in connection with this case. There was other federal agents,

there was other people that we can't even mention for legal reasons because they were never

charged but who were mentioned in Jacob's testimony. But there was a homeland security investigations agent called Felix Cisneros and a police detective called John Ballyan. So Ballyan is another person who had emigrated to the United States from Turkey, but he is Armenian. His Armenian family had fled a people there and, you know, he was a hard-working guy. His family owned a restaurant. The restaurant was a favorite among local cops and pretty soon

John Ballyan wanted to become a cop. And in 1996, he got a job at the Montebello Police Department in the Valley. He won Officer of the Year in 2001. By 2006, Ballyan is the spokesman. He's the guy I have to call if a comment about the Glendale Police Department and Leven was awaiting trial for assault. For some reason, these two meet at Adele and next thing you know, they're traveling everywhere together. Yeah, so at some point around this time or before 2011, Leven and John Ballyan

connect. And a few years after that, they go to Turkey together and the two of them are stopped at LAX by Customs agents. John Ballyan was found carrying $18,000 in cash, apparently for Leven. Now, nothing about this suggests that it was illegal for him to be carrying this cash for Leven, but their relationship goes years and years back. Now again, this is a Glendale Police Detective who had a decades long and by the sounds of a pretty illustrious career. And the most illustrative

part of what prosecutors alleged about Ballyan's corruption was the story of Gordo who we talked about earlier in the series. Now, Gordo is the Armenian man who ended up serving time in prison for an attempted kidnapping. And he is also Leven's cousin. Now, Gordo was going through an appeal and John Ballyan was alleged to have by prosecutors past thousands of dollars to members of the

testimony because members of Gordo's family wanted Gordo to be freed. Now, there's no allegation

“that it was Leven tasking Ballyan with finding a way to free his cousin, but this relationship”

between John Ballyan and the Mexican mafia and his task of finding a way to free Gordo,

that's all in court documents, and Ballyan was ultimately convicted of corruption and his

links to Mexican mafia. And the Armenian mafia, but the decades long relationship between Leven and Ballyan ultimately oneself. Leven claimed that he had given Ballyan money for a private business, some sort of drinks company, which then failed, which means Ballyan, according to Leven, owed him money. Now, Leven claims that Ballyan, to get out of pain and back, conspired with Edgar Sargizian to, quote, "take him down," which is a point in the story when, for the first time, things turn

violent. So what happens? This is wild. In July 2016, one of Leven's bodyguards was driving

“down a street in commerce, where they are big office fenoialis. Leven's son, George, was a passenger.”

And this was by the way, as ever, a black escalator. The driver pulls up to a stop sign, and suddenly he feels what he described as "a burning sensation in his lower back." Someone had opened fire at this vehicle carrying Leven's son, a drive-by shooting. Luckily Leven's son, George was on harm, but the Ballyan had a bullet wound. There was no progress on the case for 12 months, shockingly, until a member of the Mexican

Mafia contacted an LAPD detective from prison. He tells this detective that the shooting was ordered by a Glendale detective, and there was a 100,000 payment for it. And according to an affidavit, the Glendale detective's name was, you guessed it, John Ballion. None of this was ever legally resolved in courts, but supposedly the allegations are that this was meant to just be a warning shot,

not to hurt anyone, and it went wrong. And so Leven claims that this was Ballion and Edgar together, both of whose relationships had sowered with Leven individually, and so Leven claims that these two men conspired together to "take Leven down." Now none of that was ever proven in court,

both Edgar and John Ballion deny any involvement in this plot, and they were never charged with

the crime. John Ballion was never charged in the shooting, but he did plead guilty to federal charges of bribery, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. But this is just the local level, let's go to the international level. Yeah, Ballion and Babak bromand, they're just a small part of this much bigger network. What's really startling is that there was lots of talk of connections with,

and involvement by the CIA. That's after the break. Some are means wide open spaces in a whole lot of extra miles. Last place you want your engine to give out is halfway to nowhere. Out here, vote oil or a week battery is just an ambush way to happen.

“That's why every oil change at Ballion Instanoyal Change includes an 18-point”

maintenance check. These text are trained to help spot issues early and give you a run, and easy. In the moment, it felt like it was going on forever. I didn't think I was going to live. I was terrified. There was no anything inside those eyes. They turned black. It scared the hell out of me.

That was your first murder case. Yes, sure.

Fear to say this was the biggest case of your career. Yes, sir. Right, the murder of a chunk is probably more challenging. Ball is against. I would think so. People wake up. I'm the one that saw the murder, take place by crevents and the people.

Anthony DiPippo showed no signs of remorse, appearing unfazed after being sentenced to the maximum. I said I'm not guilty. I'll take it to the grave.

or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the devil's quarry add free with exclusive content. Subscribe to Love of For Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place soccer, football. It's home. Why do I wash the world cup? That's like asking me,

“why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I think watching it with my dad.”

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernando Chavari and this is American Football. I show about soccer culture in the US and it's under dog roots. We go beyond the game to the people

and the stories that make it great. As a first of all, it's not just a game. It's your culture.

I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilian don't like hearing that. Are they the only ones I don't like? As we get ready for the men's world cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the Michael Thudapardcast Network, available on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Hoda Kattby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kattby. Okay, if you know me,

“you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help”

maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people, like when actress Olivia Mann

shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through

breast cancer and it helped my mother through breast cancer, and that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand post-parner depression. I was not prepared for post-parner anxiety. Olympic champ Sean Johnson revealed why she had no choice, but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kattby

on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi listeners, I'm Michelle, host of the Kingdom of Fraud Podcast. And I'm excited to share

this incredible story with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can get access to all

episodes of Kingdom of Fraud. 100% ad-free, and one week early, through the iHeart True Crime Plus subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to other chart topping True Crime shows you love, like the girlfriends, the trail, the godmother, paper goes, piked in massacre, murder homes, unrestorable, and more. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime Plus, and subscribe today.

The network of the boys, the umbrella of protection, it wasn't just on the ground in California. Along with Jacob, Levan worked to launder money from their biofuel scam by taking it out of the US abroad and investing it around the world, and in particular, as we heard in Turkey.

“There's one particular man who allegedly was really important to this entire plant,”

to clean all of this defrauded money. And his name is Baran Quarkmas. Now, I say just before we get into any of this, I say alleged because, as we mentioned before, he has been charged with money laundering and wire fraud, but he still hasn't been tried, and he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. So everything we're about to dig into is alleged by Jacob and by prosecutors. But what can you tell us about Baran Quarkmas, Michelle? Who was he? Well, first of all, let's point out that

the fact that he has been brought to trial is very unusual. Baran Quarkmas is a Turkish, very wealthy Turkish businessman, who, according to Jacob, specializes in buying, distressed assets, and flipping them, was stripping them for parts to turn a profit. So there was this company called SBK, SBK, says again, Baran Quarkmas, which was linked to a lot of the purchases of businesses and properties that were allegedly being used to laundering money. Now, Isaiah Kingston, Jacob's brother,

Baran, had connections as, quote, all the way to the top, who could ready for this, quote,

“walk right up to somebody and prick them with a poison ring, kill them. This is stuff that”

it seems Jacob actually believed about Baran's power and about Baran's reach. Now, obviously, this sounds kind of far-fetched, but at the same time, we do know that Baran had all of these big time connections. Again, we talked about this in the main series. One of those connections, we know that Baran Quarkmas introduced Jacob and Levant to President Erdogan, the Turkish president. Think about this, President Erdogan actually stood with Jacob to pose for a photo.

Baran also talks a lot about his relationship with James Woolsey, aka Grandpa. Woolsey is the former CIA director under Bill Clinton and he became a top advisor to President Trump. In a Turkish interview, Baran said, quote, "W Woolsey is someone I know and I traveled with him."

“There's nothing wrong with that. I even wanted the U.S. to visit with him. Dined with him and stayed”

as his guest many times, Quarkmas said. You know, Baran is such a big player in the shadowy world that he was subpoenaed in the Mueller investigation. So anyhow, this guy is a mess. I know

of this goes too dark the rabbit hole. Yeah, there's a million ways to go with this, obviously.

Yeah, Jacob Kingston testified to laundering $140 million in stolen cash through Turkey with Baran's assistance, but Jacob's lawyer, Mark Agnifolo. By the way, before we get into that, I just wanted to say Mark Agnifolo, again, another wild detail that we just didn't have time for in the main series. But Mark Agnifolo is a big shot lawyer that Jacob hired to defend him. And when I say big shot, I mean, like big, big, big shot because Mark most recently represented

Pete Diddy in his 2025 trial. So this is the like caliber of lawyers that we're talking that that Jacob was represented by. But anyway, so you were saying, I will say when I was sitting in court, it was like a draw drop moment for me when Mark Agnifolo said aloud all of the things that I had been thinking. Jacob has claimed believes that the millions of defrauded and laundered fraud dollars. That quote, ready? Some of it was sanctioned by the US government and the CIA with money going

to business entities in Turkey to fund the CIA and support the US's Kurdish allies against ISIS. I mean, this is extraordinary, Jake. That's like a huge claim made by Jacob's defense attorney. Now, Jacob didn't directly testify to this. But this is stuff that Jacob's attorney was talking about. And it's, it is just like another layer to the links and the connections that the people in this case demonstrably have. Now, I don't know, part of this might be

a way to give Jacob an excuse and make him seem more hapless than he was. This is all very market. This sort of CIA deep intelligence stuff. But at the very least, it seems Jacob believed he had gotten involved in some deep, dark conspiracy involving intelligence services and money that was supposedly flowing to the Middle East, shepherded by the CIA. And for him is allegedly

“using these beliefs to shake Jacob down for protection money, at least that's what prosecutors claim.”

Now, it's worth noting, when Jacob and Levant unlocked up in April 2021, a grand jury in the district to Utah in Dites, cork mods for on cork mods on 12 counts. Money laundering conspiracy, wire fraud, obstruction of an official proceeding. He is being hunted all over the world. And he was the subject of an into pull warrant. Everybody was looking for him internationally. And 2021,

they finally found him. He was getting massage. Naked in Austria at a five-star hotel,

which seems very baron like Austria cooperates with the US, extra dites baron to the US. In 2022, he's in a Utah jail. He's supposed to go on trial in 2022. It doesn't happen. 2023 doesn't happen. I'm paying close attention. By 2023, he's out. And for a little while, I had no idea where he was. No one would tell me where he was. And then he reappears, a free man in New York City, and to this day, no one can explain how or why that happened to me.

Yeah. As of right now, he's still officially charged with all these crimes. And if you go to his LinkedIn, if you go to his ex account, you'll see that he lives as a free man in New York City.

And his attorney for comments. Same here. Yeah, we both reached out to him. We haven't heard back. He's been indicted. He hasn't been tried. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. There's clearly so many rabbit holes to go down in this story. But there is one question.

Why did this protection of the boys? This umbrella of protection? Why did it ultimately

mountain nothing? I mean, Levant is serving a 40-year prison sentence. Jacob and 18-year prison sentence. So, their protection clearly didn't help Jacob and Levant. But you have this belief, Michelle, that the boys are just the most outrageous, important part this entire story. So, why do you

“feel that way, Michelle? Why is it so important that we talk about these people?”

Well, because I think it illustrates the entitlement, the greed and for me the lack of accountability.

It creates this wider societal distrust in law enforcement. And this show that the law

doesn't apply to any of them, that they are above the law. These were people who were entrusted with defending us and upholding safety for United States citizens. And instead, they sold their souls in their badges. And the idea that all of these men, with the exception of Felix's Snoros, who we didn't get into very much, all of them are out. What's startling to me is how easily

“these law enforcement officials were enticed into corruption. Money, fancy hotels, it appeared there was”

no ideology here beyond greed.

Kingdom of fraud is produced by novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from novel, visit novel.odio. The show is hosted by me, Michelle McFeed, and reported by me and Jay Kotaevich. This episode was produced by Megan Dean. A Maya Sortland is our assistant producer. Our editor is Sandra Shmuelli, production management from Shari Huston, Joe Savage, and Charlotte Wolfe. Our fact chapter is Fendell Fulton. Sound design in mixing by Tiffany Demac,

original music composed and performed by Nicholas Alexander in Daniel Camson. Music supervision from Jay Kotaevich, Sandra Shmuelli, and Max O'Brien. Willard Foxson is creative director at novel. Our executive producers are me, Michelle McFeed, Max O'Brien, and Craig Stracken, Benautal, and Stephanie Lenn. Katrina Norbel and Nikki E. Tore are the executive producers for iHeart Podcasts and the marketing lead is Alice in Canter. Special thanks to Carrie Lieberman, Will Pearson,

and the whole team at WME. There was no anything inside those eyes. They turned black. It scared the hell out of me. Evil wake up, and the woman saw the murder, take place by cream at Fendell Fippo. Anthony DiPippo showed no signs of remorse, appearing unfazed after being sentenced to the maximum. I said I'm not guilty I'll take it to the grave. Listen to the devil's quarre

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