Felix Sater
| Felix Sater | |
|---|---|
 Felix Sater, July 2012 | |
| Born |
Haim Felix Sater March 2, 1966 Moscow, Russia |
| Residence | New York City, New York |
| Education | Pace University |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse(s) | Viktoria Sater |
| Parent(s) |
|
| Website |
www |
Felix Henry Sater (born Haim Felix Sater; March 2, 1966) is a Russian-born American real estate developer and managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, a real estate conglomerate based out of New York City, New York. Sater has been an advisor to many corporations, including The Trump Organization, Rixos Hotels and Resorts, Sembol Construction, Potok (formerly the Mirax Group), and TxOil.
Early life and education
Felix Sater was born in Moscow, Soviet Union on March 2, 1966 to parents Mikhail and Rachel Sater. A Jewish family, the Saters emigrated to Israel when Sater was eight years old to avoid religious persecution in the Soviet Union, and eventually came to the United States, living in Baltimore, Maryland before settling in Brighton Beach, New York in 1974.[1]
Business and advisory career
After attending Pace University, Sater started working as a stockbroker on Wall Street, working for Bear Stearns.[2] A few years later, Sater changed paths to real estate, and eventually became a senior advisor for several corporations and high-level industries in the fields of real estate, hotels, general business, investing, and oil.
He served as the senior advisor to Chairman Fettah Tamince of Rixos Otelleri, a Turkish hotel and resort company, starting in 2005. In 2007, he spent time as the senior advisor of Sembol Construction, a privately-held construction company based in Istanbul, Turkey.
In January 2008, he joined the Russian real estate company Mirax Group as a senior advisor to Sergei Polonsky, staying onboard through the integration of Mirax into the holding company Potok in 2011. In 2009, Sater joined Global Habitat Solutions as a managing director. Global Habitat Solutions is a congolmerate based in New York City offering solutions in the fields of housing, energy, and infrastructure. Sater also sits as a senior advisor of TxOil, a Turkmenistan-based oil company, a position he has held since September 2011.
Work with the Bayrock Group
Sater joined Bayrock Group LLC as a senior advisor in 1999 at the bequest of the company's owner and founder, Tevfik Arif. As a senior advisor, he assisted with several projects, including executive decisions in the Trump SoHo project.
Trump SoHo
Felix Sater was a managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, as well as a senior advisor to Donald Trump and The Trump Organization when construction of the Trump SoHo began in 2006[3]
He played a major role throughout the process of the building's construction, and remained managing director of Bayrock Group when the Trump SoHo project was completed in 2010. The building is a $450 million, 46-story, 39-unit hotel condominium located at 246 Spring Street in SoHo, New York City. The project was a collaboration between The Trump Organization, Bayrock Group LLC and Tamir Sapir.
Other projects
Sater has been an advisor, investor, or developer in notable real estate projects including the Trump International Hotel & Residence in Phoenix, Arizona, the Conrad Fort Lauderdale and Midtown Miami in Florida, and Cornwall Terrace and 1 Blackfriars in London.[4][5]
In addition to real estate development endeavors, Sater also has started businesses in the fields of philanthropy, investment, retail, and energy[6]
Legal issues
In 1991, Sater was involved in a conflict at a Manhattan bar, resulting in a first degree assault charge and a short prison stint in 1993.[7] This resulted in Sater being barred from selling securities on the National Association of Securities Dealers (now called the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).
In 1998, Sater was convicted of charges of fraud in connection to a $7.9 million penny stock pump and dump scheme through his employer, White Rock Partners. In return for a guilty plea, Sater agreed to assist the US government in issues of national security, working in Asia for the CIA.[8] He was ultimately sentenced to a $25,000 fine, and no prison time as a result of gratitude for service to his country. As a result of his assistance, Sater's court records were sealed by Loretta Lynch.[9] Several illegal attempts have been made to extort Sater through the use of these sealed documents as evidence from a corporate hard drive by former Bayrock Group co-workers Jody Kriss and Michael Chudi Ejekam, as part of a $1 billion lawsuit against Sater, Donald Trump, and many others.[10]
Personal life
Sater currently resides in Port Washington, New York, where he lives with his wife, Viktoria, and three daughters. He is an active member of the Chabad of Port Washington, and in both 2010 and 2014 was named Man of the Year.[11][12]
References
- ↑ Bagly, Charles V. "Real Estate Executive With Hand in Trump Projects Rose From Tangled Past", The New York Times, New York, 17 December 2007. Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
- ↑ Idov, Michael. "Trump Soho Is Not an Oxymoron", New York Magazine, New York, 7 April 2008. Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
- ↑ Mosk, Matthew and Ross, Brian. "Memory Lapse? Trump Seeks Distance From 'Advisor' With Past Ties to Mafia", ABC News, New York, 10 December 2015. Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
- ↑ "Felix Sater Project Portfolio", Retrieved on 28 February 2016.
- ↑ "Felix Sater - Behance.Net Profile", Retrieved on 13 March 2016.
- ↑ "Felix Sater - The Trump SoHo and Other Projects: Felixsater.net", Retrieved on 12 March 2016.
- ↑ Horwitz, Jeff. "Donald Trump picked stock fraud felon as senior adviser", The Washington Times, Washington, DC, 4 December 2015. Retrieved on 13 March 2016.
- ↑ Kennedy, Marlene. "Convictions Won't Keep Civil RICO Suit Alive", Courthouse News Service, New York City, 24 March 2014. Retrieved on 14 March 2016.
- ↑ "Felix Sater Statement on Loretta Lynch Nomination", New York City, 17 February 2015. Retrieved on 13 March 2016.
- ↑ Beys,Michael P. "Felix Sater Prevails in Court Case with Connections to New Attorney General Loretta Lynch", Yahoo! Finance, New York City, 29 April 2015. Retrieved on 14 March 2016.
- ↑ "Dinner 2010: Felix Sater". Retrieved on 29 February 2016.
- ↑ "Felix Sater - Man Of The Year: Chabad of Port Washington". Retrieved on 29 February 2016.