This article uses the same eerie photo of the bank, which clearly implies something sinister and nefarious going on. This despite the fact that during the press conference, IRS Chief Jim Lee admitted that no charges were being filed against the bank or anyone running it, and the OCIF Commissioner admitted that their investigation had found no evidence of money laundering or any other financial crimes. They also used a photo of me with my back to the camera, implying that I had something to hide and refused to face justice.
Also, despite those key admissions, the article leads with allegations that the bank was suspected of being a vehicle for tax evasion and money laundering. Goldstein quoted IRS Chief Jim Lee’s statement: “There is no doubt that O.C.I.F.’s work sends a strong message to others that the Puerto Rican financial industry will not be a haven for tax evaders or illegal conduct.” This defamatory statement was contradicted by the OCIF Commissioner herself, who confirmed no evidence was found that Euro Pacific committed any financial crimes. So if my bank was not facilitating tax evasion or money laundering, how did shutting it down put a stop to those crimes?
More important than what Goldstein wrote was what he left out. He did not quote Lee when he admitted that no charges were being filed against the bank or anyone running it, and he did not quote the OCIF Commissioner’s statement that no evidence of money laundering or any financial crimes were found. Those were the two most important and relevant statements, but since they were exculpatory of me and the bank, and undercut the false narrative the media was helping the government spread about the bank facilitating tax evasion and money laundering, they were deliberately omitted.
He also referenced the 60 Minutes broadcast that a court later found defamatory, during which a former employee supposedly said, “Euro Pacific did not do much vetting of its customers’ backgrounds.” But discovery in my winning defamation lawsuit against 60 Minutes revealed that no such statement was ever made. However, Goldstein did not quote from the numerous former customers and employees who told him and his Australian partners the opposite.
This article is more proof of bias and malice on the part of Goldstein, who did not want N.Y. Times readers to know the truth, but just the lies he was helping the J5 spread.
