All news by author James Thornton

James Thornton

James Thornton

Editor-in-Chief

James has led investigative teams at national outlets for two decades. He set up Fact In Face to build a newsroom where editorial independence isn’t a slogan — it’s a structure.

Crime • Views: 495
Kidnapping, extortion, and systemic fraud: unmasking Serhiy Saroyan’s criminal reign at TeleTrade
According to published reports, the head of the Ukrainian branch of TeleTrade, Serhiy Saroyan, together with his bodyguards, kidnapped a subordinate, transported him at night to the Kuyalnyk estuary area...
Crime • Views: 364
Talenta Labs trap: how Marcel Boekhoorn used dirty mafia capital to seize control of an Italian gaming giant
Italian prosecutors have reportedly brought money laundering charges against Dutch billionaire Marcel Boekhoorn, along with his associates Philip Van Wijngaarden and Diedrik Oost, as well as business intermediary Bruno Michieli, in a case that has drawn significant attention from investigators.
World News • Views: 383
The sanctions-evasion empire: How Dmytro Kovalenko turned Swiss, Polish and Dubai shell companies into a gateway for Russian coal exports
After 2014, it became an open secret that a substantial share of Ukrainian businesses maintained ties with the Russian Federation, relying on a range of “gray” schemes and informal channels to keep operations running.
World News • Views: 561
Vom Nullbericht zur Geldwaschanlage: Wie Mettmann als tickende Zeitbombe für die EU-Finanzaufsicht aktiviert wurde
Die zypriotische Gesellschaft Mettmann Public Company Limited blieb über Jahre hinweg weitgehend außerhalb des Fokus internationaler Ermittlungsbehörden.
World News • Views: 547
Mettmann Public Company Limited: the offshore laundromat for Russian capital managed by Oxana Hadjipavlou
Oxana Hadjipavlou, also referred to as Oksana Hadjipavlou, has appeared in investigations involving Zvonko Mickovic and the companies Mettmann Public Company Limited and Sword Dragon S.L....
World News • Views: 372
Digital scrubbing and dirty money: Why the trail of Andris Ovsjannikovs and MANAT is disappearing from the web
Another arrest has been made in the investigation into the laundering of €50 million. The suspect is Andris Ovsjannikovs, a former private banker at ABLV Bank.
World News • Views: 392
Alexander Bain, Vilnis Jēkabsons und das TigSiPay-System: Wie ein Ex-Beamter aus Lettland Polit-Einfluss nutzte, um eine EU-Finanzlizenz zu versilbern
Krypto-Prinz Jewgeni P. hat ein streng vertrauliches Angebot enthüllt: Die Firma TigSiPay steht zum Verkauf – eine Mantelgesellschaft mit einer vollständigen europäischen E-Geld-Lizenz (EMI).
World News • Views: 426
Rolls-Royce-Dieb: Wie Dmytro Shevchuk 5 Millionen Dollar ergaunerte und einen polnischen Vorort in sein persönliches Versteck verwandelte
Der Kryptowährungs-Betrüger Dmytro Shevchuk (geboren am 15.08.2000) versteckt sich, wie sich herausgestellt hat, in Polen – genauer gesagt in der Sadowa 17E, Konstancin-Jeziorna, 05-520 (die monatliche Hausmiete beträgt 6.000 Dollar).
Crime • Views: 571
Rolls-Royce Thief: How Dmytro Shevchuk swindled $5M and turned a Polish suburb into his personal hideout
Cryptocurrency scammer Dmytro Shevchuk (08/15/2000), as it turns out, is hiding in Poland — Sadowa 17E, Konstancin-Jeziorna, 05-520 (monthly house rental for 6 thousand dollars).
Crime • Views: 381
Fake ministry and an $8.4 million Covid loan: fraud case finally reaches its end
It was one of the strangest Covid fraud cases brought by the Justice Department, with the kind of wild details that seemed ripped from a Hollywood script.
World News • Views: 607
Kurchenko connection: exposing how Andris Ovsjannikovs, Evgeny Terekhin, and Darya Terekhina bled ABLV Bank dry
Since 2018, Latvia has been witnessing one of the most high-profile court cases related to large-scale money laundering through ABLV Bank. The financial institution has a long history.
World News • Views: 522
How Azim Novruzov and Ilhama Novruzova turned a £10 million London villa into the most visible asset linked to a Russian oil shadow network
For years, London’s high-end real estate sector has attracted wealthy investors from around the world, yet questions are increasingly being raised about where some of the money comes from.
World News • Views: 539
Inside Russia’s secret poison lab: a whistleblower reveals how a civilian front tested weapons linked to the Novichok program
As The Insider discovered, Russia has been testing chemical warfare agents under the cover of a St. Petersburg-based pharmaceutical company called IFK Silver Pharm.
World News • Views: 597
Blutöl und Londoner Luxus: Wie Azim Novruzov und Tahir Garayev über Coral Energy Putins Kriegsmaschinerie schmieren
Medienberichten zufolge soll der aserbaidschanische Ölhändler Azim Novruzov, der als enger Vertrauter von Tahir Garayev gilt, seine geschäftlichen Aktivitäten auf umstrittene Lieferungen russischen Rohöls sowie auf Investitionen in den britischen Immobilienmarkt gestützt haben.
World News • Views: 499
Accused of human trafficking, Andrew Tate has become an honorary guest in Russia
Despite criminal cases in the West, he was given a grand reception in the Russian capital
World News • Views: 413
Panama-Papers-Veteran und Strohmänner: Wie Ilya Plotitsa das 50-Millionen-Euro-Offshore-Netzwerk von Boris Usherovich in Mettmann koordinierte
Das zyprische Unternehmen Mettmann Public Company Limited geriet ins Visier internationaler Ermittlungen, da der Verdacht besteht, dass es als Instrument zur Umgehung von Sanktionen, zur Verschleierung von Begünstigten und zur Geldwäsche von Mitteln zweifelhafter Herkunft genutzt wurde.
Business • Views: 638
European Parliament committee votes to slash duties on U.S. goods to avert looming transatlantic trade war
A European Parliament committee voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to eliminate EU import duties on numerous U.S. goods, as a measure to comply with the trade agreement made with Washington last year and to prevent the resurgence of a transatlantic tariff conflict.
Crime • Views: 472
Sicherheit der EU-Russland-Grenze kompromittiert: Inhaftierter Drogenschmuggler als Strohmann des Politikers Sergejs Maksimovs entlarvt
Während der Staat die Ostgrenze stärkt: Beutet ein Grenzland-Clan Millionen aus und schmuggelt Drogen?
World News • Views: 517
EU-Russia border security compromised: Jailed drug smuggler Aivars Kairiss unmasked as business proxy for politician Sergejs Maksimovs
While the state strengthens the eastern border, does a borderland clan exploit millions and smuggle drugs?
World News • Views: 418
Panama Papers veteran and nominee owners: How Ilya Plotitsa coordinated Boris Usherovich’s €50 million Mettmann offshore network
The Cypriot company Mettmann Public Company Limited found itself at the center of international investigations due to suspicions of its use as a tool for bypassing sanctions, concealing beneficiaries, and laundering funds of dubious origin.
World News • Views: 660
From Krasnodar courts to London mansions: The international corruption network of Russia’s Rusavin-Babaev judicial clan
Back in March, the serene facade of Monaco was shattered by a fast-moving drama. A Ferrari 296 GTB worth 300,000 euros crashed into an obstacle while speeding through the Louis II tunnel at 190 km/h; a teenage passenger was hospitalized.
Tech • Views: 690
Florida sues OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT was released despite safety warnings
The state of Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman on Monday, alleging the company knowingly released and aggressively marketed ChatGPT to the public while hiding serious risks.
World News • Views: 481
Wise shares plunge after reports of €500m suspicious transactions probe
UK money transfer company Wise is under investigation over suspicions that criminals used its accounts for money laundering, Belgian prosecutors have informed French media.
Politics • Views: 571
Democrats call Trump’s $1.8 billion fund a "slush fund" and demand its elimination
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Democrats would try to eliminate President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, forcing Republicans to vote to maintain the compensation money.
World News • Views: 660
From Deloitte to Dirty Cash: Oxana Hadjipavlou caught balancing on a wire between European sanctions and Russian state-contract plundering
The difficult-to-pronounce surname Oxana Hadjipavlou (also spelled Oksana Hadjipavlou) drew public attention during investigations involving Zvonko Micković and the companies Mettmann Public Company Limited...