How Much Do Home Additions Cost?
When considering new home additions, there are many aspects to iron out before you start any work. Choosing a contractor could arguably be the most important decision of all. A plumber, for example, will be critical to your project if you are adding a kitchen or bathroom.
When considering additions to your home, you will have to take local buildings codes into account and choose between different types and quality of materials too. A knowledgeable contractor will also be able to help you lower your budget by, for example, using ABS piping rather than PVC. The cost to build home additions will be determined by many factors, so it is up to you to make several critical decisions.
Understanding the cost breakdown is extremely vital to ensure that you get the maximum benefit for your budget. This allows you to see where best to spend your money and where not to waste it. Depending on what type of home addition you are planning, the cost will vary immensely across the spectrum. The more extensive the renovation is, the greater the overall size of the project and those involved.
What type of home addition are you considering?
For example, upstairs additions don't require a foundation or slab, which reduces the cost. It will, however, require more tear down, which increases the overall cost to build home additions, unless the house has a flat roof.
Because there is no one home addition size that fits all, here are a few cost averages for the most common American home additions.
DIY bathroom additions can cost between $500 - $1,500 for the basic bathroom. Larger, more luxurious DIY projects can cost $2,000 - $4,000.
Having a professional change existing floor space into a bathroom costs $3,000 - $6,000 depending on ease of access, size, fixture quality, and amenities.
Expect to spend in the region of $7,000 - $25,000 for professional installation with spa-like features, master baths, and foundation reinforcement.
If a professional adds floor space, you can expect to spend between $25,000 - $50,000 for 6ft x 8ft bathroom addition, or up to as much as $80,000 for spa-like features.
DIY bedroom additions can cost $200 - $5,000 for a 10ft x 15ft bedroom on existing floor space.
A professional bedroom addition can cost anywhere between $7,500 - $50,000.
Additional floor space for a 15ft x 10ft bedroom will cost $3,750 - $7,500 for DIY bedroom additions, and professionally $7,500 - $22,500.
A porch addition ranges from $50-$120 for DIY material, or $3,000-$6,000 for a professional 50 ft x 20 ft concrete slab.
A DIY family room built over existing floor space can cost between $200 - $5,000 depending on project complexity, material quality, and skill level.
Hiring a professional will cost between $7,500 - $25,000 depending on size and what is included.
Adding floor space for a 400 sq ft family room addition can cost $10,000 - $20,000 for DIY, and for a professional built addition $30,000-$100,000.
Building a DIY second story home addition of 1,500 sq ft can cost between $105,000 - $225,000.
Hiring a professional contractor for the same 2 story addition can cost as much as $225,000 - $450,000.
Adding a deck can cost up to $1000 for materials and DIY, and $2,000 to hire someone to build it. A larger deck can cost between $4,000 - $25,000 depending on size and materials.
These two go hand in hand. Planning involves blueprints done by a professional draftsperson with assistance from an architect. There are more costs to consider before you can get to knocking walls down.
Existing: This is only used for small or micro scale additions.
Traditional: Designed by hand and printed on vellum.
CAD (Computer-Aided Design): A draftsperson will use tailored programs to create the blueprints.
A typical draftsperson charges between $100 - $130 per hour. Standard additions can take up to 2 days to draft, costing between $800 - $2100.
A schematic design of the floor plans, with sketches of the elevation and space both exterior and interior, can cost $600 - $1500.
Certain home additions will require a walk-through or a consultation on the current space to get a better understanding of the layout and where the addition will be situated. This can take between 2 - 4 hours and cost anywhere between $200 - $500.
Permit and zoning applications also vary depending on your location and local regulations, and usually costs between $200 - $400.
Home additions larger than 600 sq ft, or more than one story high, may need to be certified by a structural engineer. A stamp of certification can cost $500 - $1000 per blueprint.
When deciding to do home additions, it is of utmost importance to compare as many quotes as possible from reputable contractors. It's highly recommended that you check for references and view some of their previous projects whenever possible before any work commences.
How Much Does It Cost To Build Home Additions?
Demolition or excavation costs will vary according to the size of the area needing preparation.
Concrete pouring or slabs cost on average $75 per cubic yard.
Roof trusses or support beam prices will vary depending on the carpenter you choose and his methods.
Asphalt shingles or galvanized metal flashing cost on average $80 - $100 per sq ft. Installation time can run up to 16 hours and are generally included in the cost.
Window additions are always a great decision with so many styles and types to choose from. Most home addition windows cost between $300 - $700 per window including installation.
Carpeting can cost on average between $15 - $25 per sq ft, including the padding and installation.
Electrical wiring and lighting alteration will depend on the amount of work required. The general cost for an electrician is between $65 - $85 per hour.
Carpentry to code will depend on the amount of work needed. Carpenters charge an average hourly rate of $70 an hour.
Be sure you balance what your costs are compared to how much you can get out of it, and don't over build. Also be careful of pulling down the value of a custom house by doing an addition that is lower quality than main house.
Home additions should not just be considered for your current dwelling, but the future of your property too. Moving into a smaller home with an eye on renovations is a great idea, but you should calculate the overall cost of your home including the additions and then compare it to the price of the larger property.
This way you will know whether or not buying a smaller house and adding on is really a better option.
For example, if your home is 2,000 sq ft and priced at $400,000, your per square footage amounts to $200. Should your additional home additions make your property 3,000 sq ft, you should again calculate the total your home will be worth per sq ft after renovations. This will give you a better indication of whether or not additions will actually be worth it.
Talk to contractors in your area to get a breakdown of the pricing, and then compare estimates. Remember, there are always some hidden costs when it comes to home additions, so include the cost of your contractor, the materials, loan interest charges, time off work and hotel fees if you plan to move out during the process. Once you have calculated all the costs, only then can you actually work out a more accurate price per sq ft.
The cost to build home additions will vary from one region to another. If you would like to get a more accurate idea of the cost for your particular additions, you can reach out to a professional contractor in your area now who is willing to assist you with a FREE estimate of the total cost.
To get a 100% FREE quote on your home addition project, simply enter your home zip code in the space provided below.
We'll put you in contact with a registered professionals in your area. Remember, there is zero obligation to purchase, hire, or sign any contracts and there are absolutely no hidden costs attached to this offer. Simply enter your home zip code to receive assistance from highly skilled contractors near you.
The overall cost of your home additions will vary depending on the extent of your project and the design choices you ultimately make. For a more exact breakdown of the cost, get in touch with professionals for a FREE estimate.


Saxophones: Nigel Hitchcock; Andy Schofield; Clive Hitchcock; David O'Higgins; Steve Cadd; Simon Currie; Julie Davis.
Trumpets: Noel Langley, Andy Mitchell, Paul Higgs, John Hinch, Richard Sidwell, Steve Titchener.
Trombones: Mark Nightingale, Colin Hill, Mark da Silva, Phil Nell, Dave Stewart.
Percussion: Mike Bradley, Ian Thomas.
B As A but add Lorraine Craig (Vocal), Phil Mulford (Bass Guitar) replaces Richardson; omit Clive Hitchcock.
C As A Omit Schofield- Cadd plays Alto; Graham Russell, Steve Waterman, Mike O'Gorman, Andy Gibson replace Hinch, Sidwell, Titchener, Fayyaz Virji, Adrian Lane replace da Silva, Nell, Chris Watson (Gtr) replaces Stacey. Boathouse 29/6/85.
E as A but Russell Cook, Alan Berlyn replace Hinch, Titchener; Andy Hutchinson, Adrian Lane, Nigel Barr replace da Silva, Nell, Stewart; Alan Ladds for Schofield, no Cadd, add Andy Panayi (Flute) Dave Hage (Bass Gtr) for Richardson, Boathouse 13/2/86. Directed by Bill Ashton, David O'Higgins, Boathouse Studios, St. John's Wood, London. Recording Engineer: Mark Campbell. Mixed at Sound Suite, Camden Town, London, by Steve Taylor or Peter Rackham. Produced by Steve Taylor, Peter Rackham, Bill Ashton, Miles Ashton, Paul Higgs, David O'Higgins and members of NYJO.
F Tpts: Ian Wood, Mark White, Martin Shaw, Mark Cumberland, Gerard Presencer, Pat Fradgeley, Oliver Preece. Tmbns: Mark Nightingale, Andy Hutchinson, Dennis Rollins, Mark Bassey, Tibor Hartmann. F. Horn: Clare Lintott. Saxes: Pete Long, Adrian Revell, Scott Garland, Alison Brown, Michael Smith, Howard McGill. Flute/Alto Flute/Piccolo: Julia Davis. Piano Jim Osborne, Guitar: Malcolm Macfarlane, Bass Guitar Neil Williams, Drums: Chris Dagley, Percussion: Gareth Roberts, Chris Wells, Weston One Studio Acton 29/3/89. Mixed at Temple Music by Marion Giles.


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Main Publications
Prof. Yamir Moreno (Group Leader)
Senior Group Members
PhD & Undergrad Students
Main Collaborators
About BIFI
Multiplex Networks Synchronization Network Structure Critical Phenomena
MULTIPLEX NETWORKS
What is a Multilayer Network?
A Multilayer Network -of which Multiplex and Interdependent networks are particular cases- is a network made up by multiple layers, each of which represents a given operation mode, social circle, or temporal instance. This new paradigm in Network Science is believed to be the next step towards a better and full comprehension of modern cyber, social and physical systems such as online social networks, transportation systems, metabolic and regulatory networks, etc. Below, we develop a bit more the need to study these networks and what are the current challenges. We also briefly describe our work in this line of research. To illustrate the potential of this framework, let us first mention one dynamical process that could highly benefit from it: the spreading of one or more diseases or strains on a host population.
Epidemic Spreading in Multilayer Networks.
This is probably one of the most immediate applications of Multilayer Networks. In this case, the new approach allows studying scenarios in which two or more diseases interact cooperatively -i.e., enhancing each other effect- or competitively -i.e., conferring some degree of immunity to the host population in front of the other diseases and thus reducing their impact. As the host population is the same, one can "unfold" its structure and consider that each disease propagates in a layer, hence allowing for different networks of contacts for each of them. The layers are connected by links between the same nodes, as they represent the same individuals of the host population. See our paper below on interacting diseases for more details.
Why Multilayer Networks?.
The study of Complex Systems in many disciplines through network modeling has allowed us to better understand a myriad of complex phenomena, including the spreading of diseases in modern societies, information dissemination, the functioning of intricate biological pathways and gene circuits, as well as to optimize many manmade systems. By developing a toolbox of metrics, algorithms and theoretical methods, we are closer to tackle many more scientific challenges. However, despite the advances of the last two decades, we also start to see the need of going far beyond where we are if we aim at understanding even more complex phenomena. The reason is very simple: many real-world systems do not operate in isolation. On the contrary, they are interconnected and what happens at a single level of interaction affects the structure and function at another interconnected layer.
Examples of the above systems are widespread. Think, for instance, in a social system: a set of nodes represents people that interact among each other. But there are many modes of social interactions between the same people: a single individual has personal, social, professional, etc., circles in the off-line world, but also might have multiple accounts in so-called online social systems (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The way we have been dealing with this diversity of connections implies that all the aforementioned relations are projected into a single layer, but indeed, not all processes can be simulated on such a simplified aggregated network of contacts. Information diffusion usually takes place through on-line systems, while disease spreading is limited to the set of contacts an individual can physically interact with.
As mentioned above, another relevant example is given by how diseases evolve on a particular network of contacts, which has been the subject of intense research during the last several years. Nowadays, we have a set of tools that allows addressing the previous challenge to a large degree of details. However, in many situations, multiple pathogens coexist within the same host population and usually interact among each other. This includes, for example, systems of competing pathogens (e.g., seasonal influenza) or the so-called syndemic systems (e.g. HIV and Tuberculosis), i.e., two pathogens each of which enhances or impairs the spreading of the other. For these latter scenarios, considering multiple networks of contacts or layers is paramount.
Therefore, it is clear that the notion of a "multiplex" network becomes necessary. In a multiplex network, each type of interaction between the nodes is described by a single layer network and the different layers of networks describe the different modes of interaction. Indeed, the scientific interest in multiplex networks has recently seen a surge. However, a fundamental scientific language that can be used consistently and broadly across the many disciplines that are involved in complex systems research has to be developed. This absence is a major obstacle to further progress in this topical area of current interest.
This research line within COSNET is precisely aimed at developing such a language. Our goal is to provide a more sophisticated and general framework that makes it possible to describe both traditional "monoplex" (i.e., single-type links) and multiplex networks. Moreover, as a node from one layer can be linked to another node in any other layer, which leads to "cross talks" between the layers, the dynamics of multilayer systems should also be re-examined. We expect that results coming out from our studies in this area would allow improving our current understanding of the structure and dynamics of natural and manmade complex systems and phenomena.
Disease Localization in Multilayer Networks .
G. Ferraz de Arruda, E. Cozzo, T. P. Peixoto, F. A. Rodrigues, and Y. Moreno, Physical Review X 7, 011014 (2017).
What new insights do we get when the spreading of a disease takes place on a Multilayer Network?: We present a continuous formulation of epidemic spreading on multilayer networks using a tensorial representation, extending the models of monoplex networks to this context. We derive analytical expressions for the epidemic threshold of the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) and susceptible-infected-recovered dynamics, as well as upper and lower bounds for the disease prevalence in the steady state for the SIS scenario. Using the quasistationary state method, we numerically show the existence of disease localization and the emergence of two or more susceptibility peaks, which are characterized analytically and numerically through the inverse participation ratio. At variance with what is observed in single-layer networks, we show that disease localization takes place on the layers and not on the nodes of a given layer. Furthermore, when mapping the critical dynamics to an eigenvalue problem, we observe a characteristic transition in the eigenvalue spectra of the supra-contact tensor as a function of the ratio of two spreading rates: If the rate at which the disease spreads within a layer is comparable to the spreading rate across layers, the individual spectra of each layer merge with the coupling between layers. Finally, we report on an interesting phenomenon, the barrier effect; i.e., for a three-layer configuration, when the layer with the lowest eigenvalue is located at the center of the line, it can effectively act as a barrier to the disease. The formalism introduced here provides a unifying mathematical approach to disease contagion in multiplex systems, opening new possibilities for the study of spreading processes.
Dynamics of interacting diseases.
Joaquin Sanz, ChenYi Xia, Sandro Meloni and Yamir Moreno, Physical Review X 4, 041005 (2014).
Does a Multilayer Network representation allow tackling challenges like the interaction of two or more diseases on the same host population?: Current modeling of infectious diseases allows for the study of complex and realistic scenarios that go from the population to the individual level of description. However, most epidemic models assume that the spreading process takes place on a single level (be it a single population, a metapopulation system, or a network of contacts). In particular, interdependent contagion phenomena can be addressed only if we go beyond the scheme-one pathogen-one network. In this paper, we propose a framework that allows us to describe the spreading dynamics of two concurrent diseases. Specifically, we characterize analytically the epidemic thresholds of the two diseases for different scenarios and compute the temporal evolution characterizing the unfolding dynamics. Results show that there are regions of the parameter space in which the onset of a disease's outbreak is conditioned to the prevalence levels of the other disease. Moreover, we show, for the susceptible-infected-susceptible scheme, that under certain circumstances, finite and not vanishing epidemic thresholds are found even at the limit for scale-free networks. For the susceptible- infected-removed scenario, the phenomenology is richer and additional interdependencies show up. We also find that the secondary thresholds for the susceptible-infected-susceptible and susceptible-infected-removed models are different, which results directly from the interaction between both diseases. Our work thus solves an important problem and paves the way toward a more comprehensive description of the dynamics of interacting diseases.
Characterization of multiple topological scales in multiplex networks through supra-Laplacian eigengaps.
E. Cozzo and Y. Moreno, Physical Review E 94, 052318 (2016).
Multilayer networks have been the subject of intense research during the past few years, as they represent better the interdependent nature of many real-world systems. Here, we address the question of describing the three different structural phases in which a multiplex network might exist. We show that each phase can be characterized by the presence of gaps in the spectrum of the supra-Laplacian of the multiplex network. We therefore unveil the existence of different topological scales in the system, whose relation characterizes each phase. Moreover, by capitalizing on the coarse-grained representation that is given in terms of quotient graphs, we explain the mechanisms that produce those gaps as well as their dynamical consequences.
A multilayer perspective for the analysis of urban transportation systems.
A. Aleta, S. Meloni, and Y. Moreno, submitted for publication (2017).
Public urban mobility systems are composed by several transportation modes connected together. Most studies in urban mobility and planning often ignore the multi-layer nature of transportation systems considering only aggregated versions of this complex scenario. In this work we present a model for the representation of the transportation system of an entire city as a multiplex network. Using two different perspectives, one in which each line is a layer and one in which lines of the same transportation mode are grouped together, we study the interconnected structure of 9 different cities in Europe raging from small towns to mega-cities like London and Berlin highlighting their vulnerabilities and possible improvements. Finally, for the city of Zaragoza in Spain, we also consider data about service schedule and waiting times, which allow us to create a simple yet realistic model for urban mobility able to reproduce real-world facts and to test for network improvements.
Scaling Properties of Multilayer Random Networks.
J. A. Méndez-Bermúdez, G. Ferraz de Arruda, F. A. Rodrigues, and Y. Moreno, submitted for publication (2017).
Multilayer networks are widespread in natural and manmade systems. Key properties of these networks are their spectral and eigenfunction characteristics, as they determine the critical properties of many dynamics occurring on top of them. In this paper, we numerically demonstrate that the normalized localization length of the eigenfunctions of multilayer random networks follows a simple scaling law. The reported scaling law might help to better understand criticality in multilayer networks as well as to predict the eigenfunction localization properties of them.
Lévy random walks on multiplex networks.
Q. Guo, E. Cozzo, Z. Zheng, and Y. Moreno, Scientific Reports 6:37641 (2016).
Random walks constitute a fundamental mechanism for many dynamics taking place on complex networks. Besides, as a more realistic description of our society, multiplex networks have been receiving a growing interest, as well as the dynamical processes that occur on top of them. Here, inspired by one specific model of random walks that seems to be ubiquitous across many scientific fields, the Lévy flight, we study a new navigation strategy on top of multiplex networks. Capitalizing on spectral graph and stochastic matrix theories, we derive analytical expressions for the mean first passage time and the average time to reach a node on these networks. Moreover, we also explore the efficiency of Lévy random walks, which we found to be very different as compared to the single layer scenario, accounting for the structure and dynamics inherent to the multiplex network. Finally, by comparing with some other important random walk processes defined on multiplex networks, we find that in some region of the parameters, a Lévy random walk is the most efficient strategy. Our results give us a deeper understanding of Lévy random walks and show the importance of considering the topological structure of multiplex networks when trying to find efficient navigation strategies.
On degree-degree correlations in multilayer networks.
G. Ferraz de Arruda, E. Cozzo, Y. Moreno, and F. A. Rodrigues, Physica D 323-324, 5 (2016).
We propose a generalization of the concept of assortativity based on the tensorial representation of multilayer networks, covering the definitions given in terms of Pearson and Spearman coefficients. Our approach can also be applied to weighted networks and provides information about correlations considering pairs of layers. By analyzing the multilayer representation of the airport transportation network, we show that contrasting results are obtained when the layers are analyzed independently or as an interconnected system. Finally, we study the impact of the level of assortativity and heterogeneity between layers on the spreading of diseases. Our results highlight the need of studying degree–degree correlations on multilayer systems, instead of on aggregated networks.
Multilayer networks: metrics and spectral properties.
E. Cozzo, G. Ferraz de Arruda, F. A. Rodrigues, and Y. Moreno, Chapter contribution to the book "Interconnected networks", edited by F. Schweitzer and A. Garas. ISBN 978-3-319-23947-7, Springer (2016).
Multilayer networks represent systems in which there are several topological levels each one representing one kind of interaction or interdependency between the systems' elements. These networks have attracted a lot of attention recently be- cause their study allows considering different dynamical modes concurrently. Here, we revise the main concepts and tools developed up to date. Specifically, we focus on several metrics for multilayer network characterization as well as on the spectral properties of the system, which ultimately enable for the dynamical characterization of several critical phenomena. The theoretical framework is also applied for description of real-world multilayer systems.
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An informational blog pertaining to foreclosure law and foreclosure defense practice.
© Copyright 2015 Law Offices of Robert E. Brown, P.C. All Rights Reserved.
Judge Glenn Denies Request for ResCap Borrowers' Panel
Judge Martin Glenn of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan turned down a bid for the appointment of an official committee to represent borrowers in the Chapter 11 proceeding of the nation's fifth-largest home-loan servicer on the grounds the company's troubles, and those of the industry, have spawned sufficient safeguards.
Judge Glenn, however, cited a promise by the official creditors committee to refer borrower issues to special counsel. That is enough to guard against the "theoretical risk" that ResCap's official creditors committee, which has one borrower member, won't have the interests of borrowers at heart, the judge said.
Mr. Brown said he was surprised by the ruling but was encouraged by Judge Glenn's recognition that borrowers allegedly injured by ResCap's practices have a special stake in the case, which should be addressed by the special counsel the creditors committee has offered to hire.
"Now if they appoint a firm that has a nationwide practice foreclosing on people or that has a huge banking practice, that's not someone borrowers will trust and probably not someone that will understand the unique problems of someone in foreclosure," Mr. Brown said.
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RagePath
The allegation that Donald Trump kept a copy of Hitler's speeches in a cabinet beside his bed was first made by Ivana Trump. When Marie Brenner of Vanity Fair asked about the book, Trump grew defensive but notably did not deny that he did in fact own a book written by Hitler. Trump claimed that the book was Mein Kampf and had been given to him by a Jewish friend. But his friend Marty Davis admitted giving Trump a book of speeches by Hitler called My New Order and denied that he was Jewish.
Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed. Kennedy now guards a copy of My New Order in a closet at his office, as if it were a grenade. Hitler's speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist.
"Did your cousin John give you the Hitler speeches?" I asked Trump.
Trump hesitated. "Who told you that?"
"I don't remember," I said.
"Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and he's a Jew." ("I did give him a book about Hitler," Marty Davis said. "But it was My New Order, Hitler's speeches, not Mein Kampf. I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but I'm not Jewish.")
Later, Trump returned to this subject. "If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them."
(Vanity Fair, September, 1990)
Author editorPosted on November 3, 2018 Format QuoteCategories Uncategorized
The Watchdog That Didn't Bark
I've worked in politics a long time. Over that time, I've developed a pretty high tolerance for many features of politics that drive everyone else crazy. But one of its features that still drives me crazy is "transactional loyalty." This is the tendency to support anyone, despite anything, because they're on your team. It's the kind of thinking that makes Trump powerful or David Brock influential.
And it's about to make James Comey a lion of the resistance. With former FBI Director Robert Mueller leading the investigation into Trump's relationship with Russia, patriotic Americans suddenly find all of their hopes in the hands of two colleagues who have both been FBI directors.
Here at RAGEPATH, we don't want to question the moral integrity or rectitude of either man. But, we do feel it is important to remember that the men who ran the FBI happen to have led the closest thing America has to a secret police force. There is an inherent moral contradiction in the secret policeman, best illustrated by Les Miserables' police inspector Javert, whose single-minded righteous crusade to capture a single (reformed) felon leaves him blind to a revolution going on around him and indifferent to the deceits and crimes he commits in his zeal to enforce the law.
The FBI makes secret deals with bad people. One of those men was Felix Sater, a long-time employee of Donald Trump whose criminal past was concealed by the FBI.
Although few projects were built, Sater worked on hotel and condominium deals with the Trump Organization through 2010 in New York, Florida, Arizona, London, Moscow and elsewhere even as he secretly helped the FBI infiltrate and take down organized crime figures, according to court records.
Trump has denied they were close, but Sater had access to Trump's inner circle as recently as this year. […]
In 1998, Sater pleaded guilty to a federal charge of racketeering for his role in a Mafia-linked $40-million stock fraud scheme. He quickly cut a deal, agreeing to become a secret FBI informant in hopes of getting a lenient sentence.
Court records were sealed to protect Sater's identity, so his role in the fraud case stayed secret for a decade while he was at Bayrock. After a court hearing in 2009, he was fined $25,000 but was not sent to prison or ordered to pay restitution.
At his sentencing hearing, several FBI officials vouched for Sater's help. He got his biggest endorsement in January 2015 when Loretta Lynch was asked at her Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. attorney general why court records had been sealed in the fraud case.
Sater had secretly worked with federal prosecutors and the FBI for more than 10 years, "providing information crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of La Cosa Nostra" — the Mafia — according to Lynch, who had served as U.S. attorney in the Eastern District in New York.
(Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2017)
And that's before we get to thinking about all the stolen Russian money that flowed through New York under the FBI's watch. There are too many details to walk you through them all right now. But I ask you – do you find it credible that American prosecutors saw Latvian banks accepting warehouses of frozen chicken (sight unseen!) as collateral on multi-million dollar loans and never wondered if something more was amiss?
But according to the indictment, the Kouznetsovs did not stop at selling the chicken legs once. They obtained a loan from the Paritate Bank in Latvia by giving the bank false warehouse receipts showing that more than six million pounds of chicken were being held for the bank as collateral in a warehouse in Pensacola, Fla.
On the basis of the warehouse receipt, the Paritate Bank wired $3.5 million to the Kouznetsovs account at the Bank of New York in New York City. But the chicken had already been sold to another purchaser and was on a ship on its way to Estonia.
It was not clear yesterday whether investors had made any independent effort to verify whether the chicken actually existed. As John W. Moscow, deputy chief of the Manhattan district attorney's investigation division, said of the loan from Paritate, "There are a lot of suckers at that bank."
(New York Times, July 18, 2000)
The United States is an open society. There is nothing open about espionage. Both the FBI and the CIA engage in espionage. These agencies have concealed the crimes of at least one person associated with Trump (Felix Sater) because they felt it was in the public interest. Those agencies – even top Obama Justice officials – have not and will not provide the public with the evidence that supports their claims they acted in the public interest.
The investigations into Trump are being led by directors of an agency that may be directly implicated in Trump's past behavior.
The intelligence services may have noble reasons to reveal less than they know about Trump and his associates. There may be American allies abroad whose lives would be endangered by a full reckoning of the intelligence community's dealings with Trump's Russian associates.
The intelligence services may have craven reasons to conceal what they know. There may be individual agents or an institution as a whole that have committed or abetted crimes of history-shaping proportions in their zealous pursuit of "geopolitical petty crooks."
Whether the motives were pure or corrupt, we can't know because it is a matter of public policy to keep American citizens in the dark.
When it comes to Trump's connections to Russia, asking the FBI to lead the investigation is just like hiring a fox to investigate why your chickens have disappeared.
We at RAGEPATH don't believe the FBI directors' findings or claims will be untrue, but we don't think you should believe their findings will be the whole truth or untainted by self interest. Comey may tell a good story this week. Don't mistake it for the full story.
Author editorPosted on June 6, 2017 Format QuoteCategories Uncategorized
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