Based Underground is now a conservative news aggregator AND curated newsletter.
(Zero Hedge)—A new report is revealing how illegal drug funds have made their way through the commercial real estate market in South Florida “and beyond”, according to Bisnow.
Among examples was Miami’s Sefira Capital, who agreed to forfeit over $29M in 2021 to settle a DEA investigation into money laundering, though it admitted no wrongdoing.
The firm was accused of ignoring red flags about investor funds and was implicated in a DEA sting operation, revealing millions in drug money flowed through its investment fund, Bisnow reports.
The probe included a $63M hotel acquisition near Washington, D.C., and an office building in Fort Lauderdale used by Broward County prosecutors.
This case is among five highlighted in a report on money laundering risks in commercial real estate by Global Financial Integrity and others, noting $2.6B laundered across 22 states, with California, Florida, and New York being the top destinations.
The DOJ alleged that between 2016 and 2019, Sefira Capital raised millions in criminal proceeds without sufficient due diligence, ignoring red flags like discrepancies in sender names and investment amounts.
The firm received funds from criminals using The Black Market Peso Exchange, which allowed drug traffickers to swap U.S. dollars for local currencies.
As part of the DEA investigation, dollars were bought on the black market and transferred to Sefira’s U.S. accounts under the guidance of money laundering brokers.
Sefira Capital, founded by Aby Galsky and Mijael Attias in late 2015, purchased at least seven properties in Florida and three in South Florida from 2015 to 2021, allegedly using laundered money. In a statement to Bisnow, Sefira claimed no knowledge or intent regarding the funds’ origins, stating they were passive recipients.
Sefira’s joint venture with Highline Real Estate Capital included buying and later selling the Courthouse Place office near the Broward County courthouse. Highline’s founder, David Moret, stated the DEA did not investigate their joint venture properties.
Sefira’s acquisitions also included The Jaxon Apartments in Jacksonville, a Tampa office building, and a self-storage facility in Naples. A significant purchase was the Westin Tysons Corner, acquired with Driftwood Capital and Merrimac Ventures for $62M in 2018. Driftwood stated that Sefira was a passive limited partner.
In 2021, Sefira settled with the DOJ, agreeing to forfeit $22.5M in assets and pay $6.5M to avoid foreclosure. Galsky and Attias have since parted ways with Sefira and started new firms. Sefira’s website remains active, listing several properties, but the company lacks social media presence and is not mentioned in the founders’ LinkedIn profiles.
‘Merely Coincidental’: Secular Scientist Work Overtime to Explain Away the Miracles of Christ
by Harbingers Daily
Was the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish a little less than miraculous? Well, that’s what a group of scientists are claiming in a recent paper published in a scientific journal. Instead of a supernatural provision by the Lord, they claim the feeding…
Google Hosts Party for Democratic Operatives Plotting To ‘Resist the Republican Agenda’
by Free Beacon
The resistance’s bar tab is on Google. Priorities USA, a top Democratic super PAC with an affiliated dark money group, is convening a summit of left-wing digital activists on Wednesday afternoon to deliver a post-mortem on Vice President Kamala Harris’s election loss and strategize how to “resist the Republican agenda,”…
“The Correction Before the Surge”: Why Gold and Silver’s Future Is Brighter Than Ever
by Sponsored Post
It was long overdue by most estimates. Precious metals prices have been steadily rising for far longer than even the …
Ukraine Denies Reports From Think Tank That It Is Months Away From Developing a Nuclear Weapon
by Natural News
Ukraine has denied reports suggesting it could develop a nuclear weapon soon, following claims by a Ukrainian military think tank. The report, published by the Ukrainian think tank and nongovernmental organization the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, claimed that Kyiv could use spent nuclear fuel from its remaining…
Alex Jones Reveals Elon Musk Saved Infowars From Being Sold to The Onion
by End Times Headlines
Alex Jones has declared ‘the cavalry is here’ as attorneys for Elon Musk’s X jumped in to help put a temporary pause on the sale of his controversial Infowars to The Onion. The satirical news publication said the bid was sanctioned by the families of Sandy Hook Elementary victims who…
FBI Whistleblower Says FBI Intentionally Blocking Security Clearances for Trump Officials
by The Conservative Treehouse
It should not come as a surprise to see the same methods deployed against President Trump in 2024 that were used by the FBI in 2016. The difference is now that President Trump understands the full power of his office in the security clearance process and that he doesn’t need…
Pastor Greg Locke Burns Voodoo Doll He Claims Was Found on His Property
by End Times Headlines
Even amid ongoing warfare, we are called to stand firm on the Word of God. Pastor Greg Locke knows well the spiritual and physical attacks directed at him; he was recently targeted by a gunman. Now, he faces another spiritual assault, this time from someone attempting to place a curse…
Trump’s Incoming FCC Chief Already Putting Target on Big Tech ‘Censorship Cartel’
by WND
Social media companies have become a “cartel” for suppressing information with which they disagree, and that agenda now is going to be getting the attention of Brendan Carr, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. It was social media companies who played a role…
Sabotage: Two Undersea Internet Cables Connecting Four NATO Nations Were Severed
by Publius
Many in the international community are claiming sabotage as the only viable explanation for two fiber optic internet cables in the Baltic Sea being severed less than 24-hours apart. Fingers are being pointed at Russia as one of the the cables connected NATO nations Germany and Finland. The latter was…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Orders Democrats to Immediately End Counting of Illegal Ballots
by Infowars
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ordered Democrats in several counties to immediately halt their unlawful counting of illegal ballots in the Senate race recount. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had ruled before the election that mail-in ballots lacking formally required signatures or dates should not be included in official results….
22-Year-Old Woman With Depression Was Almost Euthanized, She Changed Her Mind Right Before She Was Killed
by Life News
Why do you oppose euthanasia, Wesley? If people want to die, we should help them die. No. And here’s an individual example explaining just one reason why. A deeply depressed woman was about to be lethally injected in the Netherlands — but changed her mind just in the nick of…
“Massive Breach”: T-Mobile Network Hacked by Chinese State Sponsored Intelligence
by Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
(Zero Hedge)—Where’s John Legere in a pink t-shirt when you need him? Among the multiple stories over the last few weeks about Chinese intelligence and hackers either attempting to, or outright gaining access, to U.S. cell phone networks (with reports stating President Trump and his team were targeted), comes news…
Trump’s Idea to Shut Down Department of Education Gets High Five From Top Christian Evangelist
by WND
A priority for the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is to tackle the Deep State, the bureaucracy in Washington that is a self-perpetuating industry, to find what American taxpayers don’t need or want. And get rid of it. One of the targets he’s already identified is the Department of…
Experts Sound Alarm Over ‘Shocking’ Spike in Strokes Among ‘Healthy’ Young People
by Slay News
Health experts have issued a chilling warning to the public over a “shocking” spike in strokes among “healthy” young people. The “alarming” surge was identified in official UK government data. The data shows that recorded cases of deadly strokes skyrocketed in 2023 and continued soaring this year. In 2023/24, the…
Well cocaine built Miami so it appears nothing has changed.