For decades, there have been rumors about how Donald Trump has been able to obtain financing for his real estate deals, even when the U.S. and world economies were in a deep recession. How is Trump getting millions when other developers are on the sidelines, desperate for capital?

A report from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston of DC Report has finally exposed the fact that Trump has been engaged in systematic money laundering for Russian entities for years, and now the Dutch government is being asked to open an investigation into Trump’s actions, along with those of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani:

“The complaint was filed by Avaaz, a global human rights organization in Washington which claims 48 million members. It has issued an open call to prosecutors around the world to investigate ‘the giant web of corruption’ that it says propelled Trump’s rise.”

The Complaint

According to the complaint filed in the Netherlands:

“The money laundering network started in Kazakhstan, where a figure of up to USD 10 billion was purportedly embezzled. This money was subsequently circulated by two Kazakh oligarch families via a worldwide network of shell companies. A number of these companies were established in the Netherlands. The money was subsequently invested in real estate projects in the United States and Europe, after which it was paid out as ‘profits’ via – once again – a network of shell companies.”

The Trump Connection

DC Report notes that Trump could be in serious legal trouble for his company’s role in the money laundering scheme:

“The complaint is aimed at uncovering the full details of Russian money flowing to various Trump projects using so-called anonymous wealth companies. Those are shell companies created to hide the identities of the owners. Trump and his family are known to have received vast sums from shell companies and have bragged about how much of it came from people in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet empire. Trump contends the deals were all lawful and he has no knowledge of any money laundering.”

The Rudy Role

How exactly did Giuliani get mixed up the scheme? His law firm was intimately involved in moving money around to keep its true origins hidden:

“The complaint asserts that a small slice of the missing billions was run through Dutch shell corporations with help from Rudy Giuliani’s old law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani. Until 2016, Giuliani was a partner in the 470-lawyer firm.”

Robert Mueller’s Angle

Rest assured that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also keeping a close eye on the Dutch complaint, and may have witnesses who participated in the money laundering. Mueller probably also has Trump’s taxes, which, if they don’t include full disclosure of investments, would mean that Trump and the Trump Organization have committed income tax fraud.

Here’s more on the money laundering allegations against Trump and Giuliani: