FW: Potential POTUS Hosts Vet

From:SnowdenK@dnc.org To: Bobby_Schmuck@who.eop.gov, ReedA@dnc.org, MARSHALL@dnc.org, ReynoldsL@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org CC: RivardC@dnc.org, KaplanJ@dnc.org, MarquezK@dnc.org, CoxC@dnc.org Date: 2016-05-12 13:32 Subject: FW: Potential POTUS Hosts Vet

Hello everyone, We were asked to vet the following for potential POTUS hosts. Robert Wennett passes vet. Jackie Soffer and Craig Robins both are issues. They were passed by DNC vet committee in 2012 to attend a DWS Chef's event. They both have their own lawsuits which they ended up settling and paying large amounts, especially Jackie. Thanks, Kevin Jackie Soffer- named in lawsuits associated with family business, Turnberry Associates; dispute with Deutsche bank over Las Vegas property (in which she was not named) ended with Jackie being substituted as plaintiff; New 2016: 2013 Las Vegas lawsuit settled for $178 million; $33 million of that would come from Jackie and her brother; 2014 settled another lawsuit for $12 Million over a mortgage Craig Robins: 1) 2010 - filed lawsuit for $8m; alleged Robins had been placed on artist Dumas' blacklist, so he could no longer purchase her artwork; 2) 2008 - Robins' company, DACRA, sued for over $200k in jet hangar use charges; Robins said his partner needed to pay his own share before DACRA paid New 2016: settled lawsuit over hanger use for $2 million Jackie Soffer- named in lawsuits associated with family business, Turnberry Associates; dispute with Deutsche bank over Las Vegas property (in which she was not named) ended with Jackie being substituted as plaintiff; New 2016: 2013 Las Vegas lawsuit settled for $178 million; $33 million of that would come from Jackie and her brother; 2014 settled another lawsuit for $12 Million over a mortgage 2511 Lake Ave Miami Beach, FL 33140 DOB: 1/966 Employer/Occupation: Turnberry Developement NGP Notes: See email chain below NGP Vet History: Yes * 9/18/2012; Passed 6OK; Per VC * 9/17/2012; Issue 6OK BNS CONTRIBUTIONS: None EVENTS: Yes * 9/18/2012; DWS-Chefs for Obama LOBBYIST/DOJ FARA: No EARMARKS/TARP/ARRA: None LIENS: No JUDGMENTS: None BANKRUPTCIES: None CRIMINAL RECORDS: None LEXIS-NEXIS NEWS SEARCH: Yes New Issue: * Turnberry resolves litigation on potential urban development boundary expansion site: "Turnberry Associates has resolved litigation over a property near Doral where it hopes to expand the county's urban development boundary. Florida Asset Resolution Group, an affiliate of Fort Lauderdale-based BBX Capital (NYSE: BBX) filed a lawsuit in June against Turnberry Doral Development, Jeffrey Soffer and Jacquelyn Soffer over a $12 million mortgage that was originated by BankAtlantic. The lawsuit was not a foreclosure but sought to force the borrowers to repay the loan." (South Florida Business Journal-January 24, 2014) * Settlement appears likely in Fontainebleau Las Vegas bankruptcy case; FONTAINEBLEAU LAS VEGAS: The Soffers are on the verge of settling with creditors over the debacle once known as the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a still-skeletal $2 billion high rise in Sin City that ranks as one of the biggest busts of the U.S. real estate crisis. A federal bankruptcy judge in Miami said Wednesday he was "inclined" to approve a $178 million settlement that would pay contractors on the failed casino tower about 25 cents on the dollar. Contractors would divvy up about $85 million for a total claims pool of $600 million, but which a creditor lawyer said would probably end up closer to $350 million once negotiations are finished. The money will be paid out to creditors and lawyers in arbitration or by court order, a process that could add another year or two onto a case that began with a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in June 2009. Construction lenders would recoup about $89 million. "I certainly have sympathy for all of the people who have money coming to them and seem to have been waiting forever,'' Judge A. Jay Cristol told an audience about 70 lawyers (half of them participating by speaker phone) at an afternoon hearing in downtown Miami. The settlement money would come from the $93 million in sale proceeds paid by corporate raider Carl Icahn when he bought the unfinished tower out of bankruptcy in 2010; the money has been in an frozen escrow account pending the bankruptcy outcome. An additional $33 million would come from title companies that backed the project., as well as from a $50 million completion guarantee funded by Jeff Soffer and his sister, Jacquelyn. The brother-and-sister team run the family's real estate firm, Turnberry, which got its start with the creation of Aventura and now includes both the Aventura Mall and the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The 68-story Fontainebleau Vegas is described in court papers as essentially a tear-down: valuable for its land on the north end of the Strip, but burdened by a five-year-old, unfinished tower that Icahn may demolish. While Judge Cristol said the settlement would probably meet his approval, he said he would consider written objections by a Las Vegas contractor who wanted its $1 million lawsuit against Jeff Soffer protected from the settlement. A $50 million settlement "by Mr. Soffer to get out of all the problems he is currently facing is not a large amount," said Henry Marinello, a Miami lawyer representing the Tracy and Ryder Landscape Inc., a large Nevada-based landscaping contractor. The settlement would end claims by lenders and contractors in the bankruptcy case, but the Soffers still face litigation involving the Fontainebleau Vegas. Jeff Soffer, the lead developer in both Fontainebleau projects, has blamed the Vegas debacle on Lehman Brothers cutting off funds after it collapsed in 2008, followed by some of the nation's top banks holding back about $800 million in construction funds slated for completing the project. But lenders accused Soffer and his development team at Turnberry of mismanagement and over-spending - allegations repeated by the bankruptcy trustee in a separate suit seeking damages from Soffer and his top executives. That litigation is still pending and will not be covered by the settlement. The Soffers did not attend the hearing. Jeff Soffer presided over Fontainebleau Vegas and put in $30 million cash collateral for the $50 million completion guarantee before the project started in 2007. His sister became part of the guarantee when she bought a judgment from a lender that had successfully sued to force Jeff to pay the remaining $20 million. Both Soffers claimed they should get the money back since the funds could only be used to complete a project that now had no hope of being finished. The two essentially surrendered their claims to the money as part of the settlement, said Mario Romine, general counsel for Turnberry Associates. Soneet Kapila, a Fort Lauderdale accountant appointed as bankruptcy trustee for the case, blamed the four years leading up to the a settlement on the fact that the case is one of the most complicated ever to be heard in South Florida. "When it is high-level and sophisticated litigation, there are a lot of things to resolve,'' he said. "It's the nature of it." (The Miami Herald-November 13, 2013) Previously resolved issues by DNC Vet Com * SOFFERS SETTLE DISPUTE WITH BANK OVER LAS VEGAS FONTAINEBLEAU: "Deutsche Bank <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001YMR%23&searchTerm=Deutsche%20Bank%20&indexType=C> Trust Co. Americas and a Soffer family partnership have apparently resolved a $20 million dispute regarding the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Jacquelyn Soffer has been substituted as the plaintiff for Deutsche Bank <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001YMR%23&searchTerm=Deutsche%20Bank%20&indexType=C> in the case, which would give her the right to collect $19.9 million in principal $705,000 in interest plus attorneys fees in New York State Supreme Court. The $3 billion project was never completed. Soffer's brother, Jeffrey, was described by Deutsche Bank <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001YMR%23&searchTerm=Deutsche%20Bank%20&indexType=C> as being in control of the partnership and named as a defendant. Jacquelyn Soffer was not. Lenders, including bankrupt Lehman Brothers, <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers,%20&indexType=C> have filed lawsuits alleging Jeff Soffer still owes hundreds of millions for personal guarantees on financing for the stalled hotel/casino/resort complex in Las Vegas, which Carl Icahn purchased for $156 million in January 2010. The Soffer family and Turnberry also have counterclaims against the Las Vegas resort's lenders. The counterclaims, which use details from an examiner's report about the collapse of Lehman, said Lehman hid its true financial condition. Jeff Soffer signed a settlement agreement with the bank in January, but the counterclaims are still pending. As part of the agreement, Deutsche Bank <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001YMR%23&searchTerm=Deutsche%20Bank%20&indexType=C> "assigned to [Jackie] Soffer all of its rights, title and interest in the causes of action actually asserted in this action, including the right to have judgment entered against the defendants herein." A logical question is why would a bank substitute a defendant's sister in collecting the judgement. Attempts to obtain an explanation regarding the matter from the Soffers or their spokesman, David Satterfield, were not successful by deadline. Other attorneys offered several possible reasons: Jackie Soffer might have reached a lower settlement figure with the bank. The family might have wanted to equitably share the financial impact. The switch might be part of a broader legal strategy regarding debts related to the Las Vegas resort. The judgment for Jackie Soffer was registered with the New York State Supreme Court and signed by Judge Judith Gische on Feb. 16. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Jeff Soffer, lenders and others involved in the project suffered losses, but Lehman Brothers <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625674&csi=302212&A=0.9930654720538373&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers%20&indexType=C> alleges Soffer still owes it for losses on certain loans." [South Florida Business Journal; March 16, 2012] * NEW YORK INVESTORS GETTING TURNBERRY'S DAVIE COMMONS: "It looks like Aventura-based Turnberry Associates is giving up control of its controversial Davie Commons project to a group of New York investors with a different plan for the property. KeyBank<http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/oh/cincinnati/keybank/3217971/> (NYSE: KEY) filed a foreclosure lawsuit in July<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/07/08/turnberry-foreclosure-davie-commons.html> against Davie Commons Holdings, Jeffrey Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jeffrey%20Soffer>, Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> and Turnberry Davie Commons Investors. The Soffers lead Turnberry Associates, which also owns the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. KeyBank sold that $17.4 million mortgage for an undisclosed sum to KBNP LLC, which, state records show, is controlled by Turnberry Associates and lists Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> as its managing member. KBNP then won an $18.7 million foreclosure judgment against Davie Commons that has the 152.6-acre site set for online auction March 14. New York real estate investor Gill Li<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Gill%20Li> said Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> has a small minority ownership in KBNP. He is among several New York investors who are partners in that company. The Soffers are cooperating in the foreclosure action. [...]" [South Florida Business Journal; February 3, 2012] * SOFFER'S SPENDING DRAWS FIRE IN SUIT: "A bitter legal fight has erupted between one of South Florida's biggest business celebrities, Jeffrey Soffer of the Turnberry companies, and Bruce Weiner<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Bruce%20Weiner>, a former CEO of Turnberry Residential LP. The litigation has turned nasty, with Weiner alleging that Soffer siphoned millions of dollars from Turnberry companies for "upkeep of his baronial lifestyle." The suit is the latest in a string of legal and financial entanglements for Soffer, who was forced to abandon his largest project, the $3 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas, in a bankruptcy. Soffer is famous for flashy spending, driving racecars and dating supermodels including Elle Macpherson<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Elle%20Macpherson>. Weiner takes direct aim at those spending habits in his lawsuit. "Among the dramatic examples of Jeff Soffer's abuse ... was a multimillion-dollar 40th birthday he threw for himself that was headlined by a live performance by Prince," Weiner alleges in his complaint. Tabloids estimated the party alone cost $2 million. Soffer fired the first shot in the battle. After firing Weiner in May 2010, he alleged in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court that Weiner betrayed Turnberry by privately negotiating to provide development services to Orlando-based Starwood Vacation Ownership on its new project, the St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort. Turnberry alleged that Weiner, as CEO of Turnberry Residential, violated his fiduciary duties as an officer by forming a new company - Bal Star LLC - and arranging the Starwood deal. Turnberry alleged Weiner had the obligation to bring the St. Regis deal to them. Also named in the suit is Robert Vollrath<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Robert%20Vollrath>, Turnberry's former CFO. "We've alleged that Turnberry, at this point, owns the Starwood deal," Turnberry attorney Michael Olin<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Michael%20Olin> said. "Turnberry made these guys very wealthy people. At the end of the day, they went off on their own and took the Starwood deal for themselves. They violated all their fiduciary duties to their employer." Circuit Judge Gill Freeman<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Gill%20Freeman> rejected Turnberry's first complaint, telling attorneys it was not clear enough about the corporate structure of the Turnberry companies and what duties Weiner and Vollrath owed to them. The company is preparing to refile the suit. In the meantime, Weiner filed his own counterclaim against Turnberry, naming Soffer and his sister, Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> in the suit. Fort Lauderdale lawyer Tom Angelo<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Tom%20Angelo> is one of Weiner's attorneys. "Their filing the lawsuit necessitated Bruce filing his counterclaim," Angelo said. "Bruce felt it was very unfortunate, given the fact he was there 20 years, working with them." According to Weiner's lawsuit, he was a 5 percent owner of Turnberry Residential. The suit says he and the Soffers took out loans from Turnberry Residential when it was financed in 2004 with a $200 million loan and credit line from Prudential Real Estate Investors. Weiner's lawsuit says he repaid his loan of $4 million within the required two years. But, he alleges that Jeffrey Soffer took out $100 million and Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> took out $40 million, and that the two combined failed to repay a combined $40 million by the end of 2008. According to Weiner's suit, the Soffers then caused the company to "reclassify" the loans as distributions, without offering Weiner the same privilege. Weiner alleges he should have received 5 percent of that $40 million distribution. Weiner also alleges he is still owed money from commissions on sales at Turnberry's 1881 Rosslyn, a large luxury condominium in Arlington, Va., with views of the Washington Monument. Olin scoffed at the notion that Turnberry owes any money to Weiner. "He's out to lunch," he said of Weiner's claims. The Turnberry complaint alleges that Weiner and Vollrath were so wrapped up in their Starwood plans that they allowed costly delays at the 1881 Rosslyn project. Despite the litigation, Turnberry's website still referred to Weiner as the CEO of Turnberry Residential on Feb. 22. It calls Weiner "a driving force in the development and sales of more than 16,000 homes" and "a highly regarded real estate development, sales and marketing executive." Turnberry's media office said in an e-mail that it does not comment on litigation. Angelo said Weiner was not bound by any non-compete clause: "In fact, he had a contract as a partner that specifically allowed him to do business outside of Turnberry." Weiner's counterclaim alleges that Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer> twice ordered audits of funds she and her brother received, and that the audits determined Weiner should have also received distributions. The suit does not elaborate on Jacquelyn Soffer<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Jacquelyn%20Soffer>'s motive for the audits or the results of the audits. Miami real estate consultant Lewis Goodkin<http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=Lewis%20Goodkin> said Turnberry has so far weathered the economic downturn, but the end of the current real estate crisis is proving a bitter chapter for many similar companies. "Relationships like theirs usually don't go sour until the market goes sour," Goodkin said. "That's the kind of mess that we see people get into." [South Florida Business Journal; February 25, 2011] * BANKS TARGET SOFFERS' VEGAS CENTER: "The Soffer family is facing a legal fight to retain control over one of its Las Vegas projects. Lenders are trying to foreclose on Town Square Las Vegas, the massive mixed-use retail and office project the Soffers opened in late 2007 just as the economy headed into a tailspin. Bank of Nova Scotia <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001XQV%23&searchTerm=Bank%20of%20Nova%20Scotia%20&indexType=C> this week asked a New York judge in the Lehman Brothers <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers%20&indexType=C> Holdings bankruptcy case to allow it to foreclose on Town Square. The bank heads a group of lenders that made a $449 million construction loan to an affiliate of the Aventura-based Turnberry Associates headed by siblings Jeff and Jackie Soffer. Lehman is involved because it made a $72 million loan to Town Square and was supposed to provide permanent financing for the project. Bank of Nova Scotia <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001XQV%23&searchTerm=Bank%20of%20Nova%20Scotia%20&indexType=C> began foreclosure proceedings last summer in Las Vegas against the Turnberry affiliate that owns Town Square. But the bank claims discussions have ``now broken down,'' according to court documents. Discussions on loan restructuring with the Soffers dated back to March 2009, when the construction loan went into default. Turnberry paints a different picture, saying talks about a voluntary foreclosure are ongoing and that it hopes to maintain an ownership stake in the property at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. ``We're still in the negotiating process,'' Jackie Soffer said. ``We're still overseeing the property. We're looking to have a positive outcome.'' This week the fight rolled over into the Lehman Brothers <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers%20&indexType=C> bankruptcy court case, as Bank of Nova Scotia <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001XQV%23&searchTerm=Bank%20of%20Nova%20Scotia%20&indexType=C> argued that Lehman Brothers <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers%20&indexType=C> is not a party to the Town Square mortgage. The bank wants a judge to find that Lehman has no ``property interest'' in the mall. ``This filing is not a surprise,'' Mike Wethington, general manager of Town Square Las Vegas, said in a statement. ``The Bank of Nova Scotia <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0001XQV%23&searchTerm=Bank%20of%20Nova%20Scotia%20&indexType=C> filed this action in the Lehman Brothers <http://w3.nexis.com/new/search/XMLCrossLinkSearch.do?bct=A&risb=21_T15545625634&returnToId=20_T15545625682&csi=247195&A=0.40156817527430844&sourceCSI=162599&indexTerm=%23CC0002HGB%23&searchTerm=Lehman%20Brothers%20&indexType=C> bankruptcy case simply to protect its interest in the mall.'' The Town Square project is the second Soffer project in Las Vegas to suffer as part of the fallout from the Lehman bankruptcy in 2008. Jeff Soffer's failed Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino was sold for pennies on the dollar a year ago in bankruptcy court to corporate raider Carl Icahn." [Miami Herald; January 15, 2011] INTERNET: None Email: We are good. Tracie/Jason - any objections? Thanks Adding Jason O'Malley. I think ok. On Sep 17, 2012, at 7:42 PM, "Laura Lopez" wrote: All, Please see three new issues for tomorrow's event. This is to get a photo with DWS. Thanks FL073 - FI - DWS - Chefs for Obama Miami 9/18/2012 6:30:00 PM 4) Jackie Soffer - named in lawsuits associated with family business, Turnberry Associates; dispute with Deutsche bank over Las Vegas property (in which she was not named) ended with Jackie being substituted as plaintiff Craig Robins: 1) 2010 - filed lawsuit for $8m; alleged Robins had been placed on artist Dumas' blacklist, so he could no longer purchase her artwork; 2) 2008 - Robins' company, DACRA, sued for over $200k in jet hangar use charges; Robins said his partner needed to pay his own share before DACRA paid New 2016: settled lawsuit over hanger use for $2 million 3841 NE 2nd Ave, Suite 400 Miami, FL 33137 DOB: 02/1963 EMPLOYER/OCCUPATION: DACRA / Owner NGP Notes: See email chain below NGP Vet History: Yes * 9/18/2012; Passed 6OK; Per DNC VC * 9/17/2012; Issue 6OK BNS * 8/15/2012; Issue; See Notes CONTRIBUTIONS: None EVENTS: Yes * 9/18/2012; DWS-Chefs for Obama LOBBYIST: None DOJ FARA: None EARMARK(S)/TARP/STIMULUS: None LIENS: None JUDGMENTS: None BANKRUPTCIES: None CRIMINAL RECORDS: None LEXIS-NEXIS/INTERNET SEARCH: New: Results of lawsuit: * Developers head back to court in jet dispute: "Prominent Miami developers Craig Robins and Ugo Colombo are slated to head back to court Friday in their six-year-old legal fight over a private jet. An attorney for Robins wants last month's $2 million judgment thrown out because of alleged juror misconduct, according to the Miami Herald. The attorney, Dennis Richard, claims three of the six jurors who sided with Colombo did not disclose their criminal records and involvement in multiple lawsuits. Colombo's attorney says the argument is meritless. Nearly four years ago, Robins' Dacra Development filed a lawsuit against Colombo's CMC Group that alleged Colombo agreed to buy half of a $22 million Bombardier Challenger - but failed to follow through on the agreement. Colombo then filed a countersuit against Dacra alleging that Robins failed to pay for his share of the aircraft's maintenance and that he purposely defaulted on the loan. The jury ruled that Dacra did not uphold its agreement to pay for maintenance, awarding Colombo and CMC $2 million in damages. The judge previously dismissed Dacra's original complaint." (http://therealdeal.com-4/3/2014)<http://therealdeal.com/miami/2014/04/03/developers-head-back-to-court-in-jet-dispute/> * Lawsuit Describes Art 'Blacklist' to Keep Some Collectors Away Imagine a market for highly sought-after items in which the makers and sellers work hard to ensure that the items go only to certain buyers, even if other buyers might be willing to pay more. The favored buyers are then expected not to resell the items for many years, even if the values skyrocket. Ideally, in fact, the buyers are expected to give these items away eventually, for the public good. And if the buyers don't abide by these expectations, they risk being cut off, cast out with the other unwashed wealthy who can afford to buy but have no access. At least according to Craig Robins, a prominent Miami art collector and real estate developer who filed a federal lawsuit on March 29 in Manhattan, this is a portrait of the workings of the primary market for contemporary art, which, despite the recession, remains immense and highly competitive. At its heart, the $8 million suit is a fairly ordinary contract dispute about confidentiality agreements and sales promises. But the details of the disagreement have provided a rare view into a normally very private world of high-end art selling in which membership rules, responsibilities, rewards and reprisals can be so complex and changeable that even art world veterans say they sometimes struggle to decode them. Mr. Robins asserts that he sold a painting of a dark figure by the highly praised South African-born artist Marlene Dumas through the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea in 2004 with an agreement that the sale remain confidential. But the gallery, which did not yet represent Ms. Dumas, told her about it, Mr. Robins claims, causing her to become angry with him because, like many artists, she prefers to see her paintings remain long term in prominent collections. Mr. Robins says that Ms. Dumas -- one of whose paintings sold for more than $6 million at Sotheby's in 2008 -- maintains an active blacklist of those she views as speculating in her work, a blacklist that, he says, he is now on (and whose existence his lawyers, who were back in court on the case this week, say they plan to prove). The suit, which claims $3 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from the gallery, also claims that Mr. Zwirner promised to help get Mr. Robins off the blacklist and sell him choice paintings from ''Against the Wall,'' the current show of Ms. Dumas's work at Zwirner (which is now her gallery), but that this did not happen. In its legal response, the gallery has called the suit baseless, saying it had never promised choice works or confidentiality after the sale. ''By bringing suit,'' the gallery's lawyers argue, ''the wealthy Robins has literally made a federal case of not being able to buy what he wants, when he wants.'' As for the supposed blacklist, the lawyers added, as if addressing a purely philosophical problem, ''If such a list exists, and if Robins is on it, Zwirner did not put him there and cannot take him off.'' But several dealers, art advisers and collectors specializing in contemporary art said in recent interviews that with the explosion of the art market over the last several years and a sharp rise in the number of speculative buyers entering the market, those who sell art have become much more wary of collectors' motives -- and that they keep, in addition to secret waiting lists for in-demand artists, another even more secret list of buyers suspected of wanting to flip art for a quick profit. [...] Even serious collectors who are generally regarded more as keepers than as sellers complain that, in recent years, several dealers -- and highly involved artists like Ms. Dumas -- have gone overboard in their protectiveness and desire to control an artwork's destiny after it is sold. ''I think sometimes there's a fair amount of hypocrisy from some of these dealers,'' said Adam Lindemann, a longtime collector and author of a 2006 book, ''Collecting Contemporary,'' that offers advice to aspiring collectors. ''I'm not buying a can of sardines here,'' Mr. Lindemann said. ''I'm buying something that I'm in love with. But times change, and sometimes you need to sell things.'' Mr. Robins's suit -- and a similar one filed in 2004 against a New York dealer by a prominent European collector, Jean-Pierre Lehmann, who also complained of an inability to buy choice works -- are seen as evidence by some within the collecting world that the contemporary art market has become so contentious that even serious, long-term collectors are now being pushed into fights. Mr. Robins, for example, owns 29 works by Ms. Dumas, and has called her ''one of the top three artists in my collection.'' Mr. Zwirner and Ms. Dumas declined to comment about the lawsuit. Mr. Robins's lawyer, Aaron Richard Golub, also declined to comment, except to offer a general observation about dealers: ''They might say they're motivated by trying to place pieces in museums and the right collections and such, but at the end of the day it's all about profit.'' [...] [Nexis: The New York Times; 04/17/2010] * High-flying partners dispute jet payments Dacra Development Corp., headed by businessman and arts patron Craig Robins, got hit with a breach-of-contract lawsuit for allegedly failing to pay for its use of a private jet. Turnberry Management III, whose VP is developer Jeffrey Soffer, says Dacra owes $200,540.63, according to the Broward Circuit Court complaint. The Challenger 604, worth around $20 million, has a corporate owner -- UC Challenger, LLC. The partners are Robins, 45, and fellow developer Ugo Colombo, 47, president of CMC Group. The Turnberry entity manages and maintains the jet at Opa-locka Executive Airport, where the company has a private hanger for its own planes and other aircraft. ''We have tenants,'' Soffer says. On Sept. 30, Turnberry Management billed Dacra for that month's use. ''Dacra failed to pay its portion of the invoice . . .'' says the suit, filed by attorneys Alan Klugerand Steve Silverman. ``Dacra stated that it did not intend to pay the amount invoiced, and further stated that it did not intend to pay, and would not pay, any other and further amounts that came due . . .'' Turnberry Management sent Robins a notice of default. Robins shot a note back, disputing the invoice. ''The bill itself is inaccurate,'' Robins says in his letter to Turnberry Management's in-house lawyer Mario A. Romine. ``Further, Ugo is in breach of his agreement with us. We plan to collect and make sure you are paid.'' Robins' attorney, Dennis Richard, says the bill is inaccurate because some of CMC's expenses were charged to Dacra. Also, he says, Colombo had agreed to buy out Robins' interest in the jet. Colombo says there were talks, but no deal was struck. ''We were negotiating but we didn't come to an agreement,'' Colombo says. ``This was before the summer. I even forgot about it. Now he claims there was a verbal agreement for me to buy his part out. There was definitely no agreement.'' Robins declined to discuss his travels, other than to say they were for business. As for the dispute, he says: ``I'm sure we will work it out. It's silly that they filed the lawsuit.'' Robins ''has no problem paying for his use of the plane, subject to monies owed by Ugo,'' Richard adds. ``His objective is to enforce the agreement that Ugo made with him.'' Meanwhile, Turnberry Management says it has the right to ''ground the aircraft until payment in full has been received,'' even if just one party is in default. Says Colombo: ``It's a very odd situation. I got trapped in the middle of it.'' Soffer, 40, a licensed pilot, feels the same way. ''They have a dispute amongst themselves,'' he says. ``I got stuck in the middle. It's unfortunate that these two are going at it. I like both of them. I hope they settle it. I'm sure they will.'' Circuit Judge Richard Eade has the case. [Nexis: The Miami Herald; 12/07/2008] 2012 Email Chains: We are good. Tracie/Jason - any objections? Thanks Adding Jason O'Malley. I think ok. On Sep 17, 2012, at 7:42 PM, "Laura Lopez" wrote: All, Please see three new issues for tomorrow's event. This is to get a photo with DWS. Thanks FL073 - FI - DWS - Chefs for Obama Miami 9/18/2012 6:30:00 PM New Issues 2) Craig Robins - 1) 2010 - filed lawsuit for $8m; alleged Robins had been placed on artist Dumas' blacklist, so he could no longer purchase her artwork; 2) 2008 - Robins' company, DACRA, sued for over $200k in jet hangar use charges; Robins said his partner needed to pay his own share before DACRA paid - was vetted for in-kind, please see email chain 3) Jill Tracey - Charged with grand theft in 1998 for shoplifting $330 worth of goods from Neiman Marcus, news stories about the incident; Case disposed / not prosecuted 4) Jackie Soffer - named in lawsuits associated with family business, Turnberry Associates; dispute with Deutsche bank over Las Vegas property (in which she was not named) ended with Jackie being substituted as plaintiff Hello- Can we please vet the following to potentially host POTUS in Miami (potentially on June 3rd): Robert Wennett (66176169) -no spouse Jackie Soffer (99900348) & Craig Robins (99871091) 2511 Lake Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140 Thank you! -- Clayton Cox Regional Finance Director Florida, Georgia & Midwest Democratic National Committee CoxC@dnc.org<mailto:CoxC@dnc.org> Office: (202) 572-5453 Cell: (678) 595-4557 Contribute today: https://finance.democrats.org/page/contribute/Midwest2015