Richard Chichakli - Accountant to the Merchant of Death
Does Assisting an Illegal Arms Dealer Make You Less Culpable for the Arms Trade?
It seems to me, as it would to anyone who can read, that the Treasury Department's actions were completely justifiable.
Chichakli claims to have never been the financial manager or accountant of Vicktor Bout, and to have only known him some twelve years ago and then only dealt with him on few occasions, all prior to Bout's being sanctioned by the Treasury Department in July 2004. Chichlaki claims "I was used as scapegoat, nothing more, and nothing less."
I've been following the career of Vicktor Bout for some time now and only one name, other than his brother's, keeps showing up in interviews and articles. That name is Richard Chichakli. I'd like to share with you just a few of Chichakli's claims and the evidence that seems to refute it quite well.
On July, 2, 2007, Chichakli stated that in order to do an interview with Al-Jazeera about the AK-47 rifle and Vicktor Bout's trafficking in such weapons, he would have to actually research Bout. To claim that he had to research the background of Vicktor Bout, a man that he knew twelve years ago, is downright laughable! In fact, in August of 2003, Richard Chichakli was a confidant of Vicktor Bout's and facilitated an interview with Bout, Bout's brother and himself for a reporter named Peter Landesman.
The fact that he claims to have had to research Vicktor Bout in 2007 simply shows that he has no respect for any intelligent reader when he is quoted extensively in Landesman's 2003 article. According to Landesman, Chichakli called himself Bout's "friend and brother." It seems Bout's "friend and brother" sure is trying to put some convenient distance between them now that the heat is on!
According to Landesman, "Chichakli tried to discourage me from pressing Bout about his connections, suggesting that there were some things I didn't want to know. "They'll put you on your knees before they execute you." These are hardly the words of somebody who doesn't know the man or anything about his business dealings.
Perhaps memory loss is an issue for Chichakli? In 2003, Chichakli seemed to know a good deal about Bout's history (as well as his eating habits) when he explained Bout's business from his early days of importing flowers in 1992 to his present day activities.
These are hardly the words of a man who would need to "research" Bout only four years later. Who is Chichakli trying to fool with his claims of ignorance? He seems pretty well informed, if you ask me.
According to an article written by Jess Hyde in July 2007, Chichakli has been living in exile since the raid on his home and office. He first went to Syria but has since settled in Moscow while his wife and teenaged son continue to live in the United States.
My question is: Where does a man with no available assets (Remember, the U.S. Treasury Department seized all of them) get the money to move from Texas to Syria and then to Moscow? Is it simply a coincidence that Vicktor Bout makes his home in Moscow?
There are just too many holes in what Chichakli claims and what he has stated for the record in oh, so many interviews in the past. Drug dealers are rarely prosecuted for dealing drugs. Generally the only way to prosecute a drug dealer is by seizing the ready cash he has in his home and prosecuting on the basis of tax evasion. Now, I'm no accountant and they may all be rolling in big bucks, but it seems to me that a half million dollars worth of cash and a box of diamonds is a lot to be storing in a CPA's office safe.
And who keeps boxes of loose diamonds around anyway? Is it merely another coincidence that Vicktor Bout is known to have taken payment for arms delivered to Liberia in the form of blood diamonds?
What do you think? Is somebody lying?
Published by Lisa Thibault Pietsch
Lisa Pietsch has an A.S. in Business Management from the University of Maine and studied Government & History at the University of Great Falls. When she isn't writing novels, she is working on SAXtreme Mag... View profile
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- Employee but not associated?
- Friend & brother but knows nothing
6 Comments
Post a CommentMessage 3 Continued:
...watches, cars, etc., do need to be, first--acquired, then--transported to the place of sale, and lastly--stored at the place of sale/secure location. I would have been very surprised if Dr. Chichakli have put the diamonds on a tree to deny access to burglars, glued them to the wall to prevent from being stolen, made them invisible somehow like a magician. No, he did not do that--he, the crazy guy (as I can conclude from your writing), kept the inventory of cut diamonds that he imported with all the supporting purchase/customs docs available in his office safe. Is it possible he was awaiting a buyer to come and see the inventory the next day?
If you are asking why an accountant would do such a shameful thing as importing cut diamonds for sale and keeping them sacure in a place of trade? Any American can start any business at any time if they are not restricted by law and are ready, willing and able to engage in business of trading LEGAL commodities. I hope
Furthermore, I would like to point out that you, Ms. Pietche, are making very deceiving statements and implicating individuals as liers and criminals through your use of extremely doubtful and mind-numbing conclusions.
Do you think, that it is a coincidence that Dr. Chichakli's wife of three years and who is of Russian origin also lives in Moscow? Shall Dr. Chichakli listen to your suggestion and immediately move out of Moscow simply because Mr. Viktor Bout lives there or somebody else, whom YOU consider a danger to the world, resides in Russia?
I wanted to accuse you of extreme stupidity, but then have read your credentials and found a reason for the bogus writing--you simply did not have time to create a piece actually worth reading--changing diapers, taking care of babies, husband, family, etc.
I also understand that a housewife that gets diamonds as gifts from Zales or Gordon Jewelers for Christmas would not understand that cut diamonds, just like other goods--purses, makeup
I would like to address both, the Fact Finder and Ms. Peach, with respect to the significant scope limitations you have put on your research. You have, purposefully or not, limited your reading materials to the ones either published by the government or by other parties, interested in promotion of the story of Mr. Victor Bout for their own benefits, such as reporters and book-writers. How is it possible, that educated individuals such as yourselves, can write in such a misleading way?
Why, Ms. Peach, whould you say that you have followed the career of Mr. VB with such certainty? Did you work for him? Did you hire him to work for you? Are you his spiritual leader or biography writer? What gives you such confidence to write the literary-worthless piece like published here?
Unbelievable...
I am looking for information from people who knew Viktor Bout and/or Richard Chichakli. In the matter of Viktor Bout the entire world, "laterally" is divided into two, on one side there is the whole world, and on the opposite side battling against the entire world is Texas CPA Richard Chichakli. Why would an intelligent person decides to stand against all forces? This is the debate.
Send me your comments cbconspiracy@yahoo.com
20 academic degrees, research is a way of life and a standard vocabulary. I am nor a researcher but Richard Chichakli is, and as such what he said is nothing but normal and standard vocabulary. As to Al-Jazeera interview, I was very sure that Richard said that he researched the AK-47 rather than Bout.
Richard said on many occasions that he knew "plenty" about Victor Bout's business, and as far as I know and the US Constitution stipulates it is no crime to know about anyone or anything. The documents posted on Chichakli's web site, and particularly the time-line of his encounters of Victor Bout clearly indicate that he knew Bout in 1995 for about one year as (1) of the (160) operators in Sharjah free zone. Then in 1998 as he was hired by Bout to assess the viability of taking Bout's company public in South Africa. The records filed by OFAC in court as a defendant in the law suit brought by Richard against the Federal Government, fully corroborate Richard's claims. Given that the
Well, Lisa Thibault Pietsch, not all who read about Richard Chichakli do agree with what the US government did to him, to his family, and to his business. I personally do not agree nor do I see any justifiable reason for OFAC action despite that I have read about the story and had followed what has been going on since two and a half years. However, I would like to further elaborate on your three questions which are:
1-How can Chichakli say that he had to research Victor Bout since he knew him for 12 years?
2-With his assets frozen, how did Chichakli move from Texas, and why would he go to Syria and then Russia? and
3-Why would a CPA keep 500K in his safe?
Now, Richard Chichakli was a fellow professor of accounting and faculty member of Spring Creek College in Plano, Texas; the place we taught together for a couple of years since 1990. Research, is a matter of habit and those who know Richard would have not found the answer surprising, because for a person with more than 20 aca