Michael Cohen lent taxi driver money for marijuana
The federals burst into his office and took everything he owned. President Donald Trump, the main client of the lawyer, got angry, protested and threw a tantrum on Twitter and the media. However, he could not stop the agents from "cleaning" the offices of Michael Cohen. What were they looking for? It has not been said yet. Some speculated it that was documentation related to Stormy Daniels’ case of sex scandal; others commented that it was Mueller who sent the feds. The thing is that the first notes of what has been collected from the archives of Cohen are already made public.
Trump's personal lawyer is also being investigated by the FBI for a $ 26 million loan to a businessman who ran a taxi company. The most disturbing thing is not precisely in the "help" provided, but in the purpose for which the money has been used. The entrepreneur started his business in the legal industry of marijuana thanks to the humble "savings" that Cohen and his father-in-law offered him. Semyon "Sam" Shtayner, an old friend of Michael Cohen's father-in-law, registered the Nevada Company Cannaboss LLC just a few days before the 2016 elections. But that's not all, after taking full control of the company "Sam" got the authorization to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to the documents. Something clearly smelled fishy and Mueller got very suspicious.
There is also a doubt, Donald Trump is a very good friend, or very naive or very corrupt. It is not possible that the US president attacks the permissiveness of marijuana and drugs and his own lawyer, on the other hand, is lending money to a person dedicated to that business. Even if it's legal, it’s a big coincidence that "Sammy" quickly got the licenses and without objections. It is true that during his campaign Trump made promises about the legalization of marijuana for legal purposes, but his government has contradictory speeches and does quite the opposite. The Justice Department has a hard line - in the end they impose the law - and on the other hand, the Treasury Department - which manages the money – paves the way for entrepreneurs. This facilitates that the government of the United States manages the money of marijuana legal market while the Department of Justice, under new legislation, allows prosecutors to investigate more thoroughly on the use of cannabis. The very same American president in his speech criminalizes the use of marijuana and has been more reluctant regarding its recreationally use.
So, what is happening in America? Has hypocrisy been enthroned or simply influences are gifts that the president delivers to his close circle of friends? If this is the reaction with a simple seller of marijuana-derived products, what will be left for the big gun contractors? The "help" and the benefits will be superior.
Despite having working for him around 500 taxi medallions, Semyon Shtayner wanted to venture into the world of legal marijuana and made the request for it in Henderson, Nevada, and although nobody knows if he used the borrowed money to finance the new business, it is a fact that Michael lent him money for the investment. Therefore, the FBI continues to search in the documents of Donald Trump's personal lawyer. Bank statements and other papers related to the taxis’ company are detailed by the agents, aiming at finding possible links and "errors" that show what is happening and of course, if something is out of place, Mueller will immediately know.
In the meanwhile, so far it has been reported that Shtayner in exchange for the loan offered properties as guarantee, one in Chicago and other one in Florida.
The turn of Shtaynerman's business is not entirely inexplicable. It is known that in recent years Uber has reached great strength and the quotes of taxi medallions have dropped a lot, from one million dollars to approximately the half. On the other hand, marijuana is legal in eight states, including Nevada and Washington, while 38 states allow the use of the drug for medicinal purposes; hence, the Ukrainian who was a taxi driver in Chicago perhaps would like to breathe new airs.
It is interesting that selfless Cohen since the ‘90s is involved in the taxi business. He currently owns in Chicago 22 and other 30 yellow cabs in New York. So who knows if the hand extended to an old friend becomes more taxi medallions for Cohen's family and his father-in-law.
Taxi licenses are known for medallions since they are embedded as medals on the cars.