The system that the U.S. put in place in Iraq following its 2003 invasion of the country was abused by shady Iraqi banks that used the lax system to funnel large unknown sums of money to Iranian terrorists. The Wall Street Journal reported that the three banks run by Ali Ghulam wired tens of billions of dollars outside of the country to fake vendors who submitted fraudulent invoices. “U.S. officials suspect his banks were among more than two dozen Iraqi banks involved in funneling dollars to Iran and its militia allies, using front companies and falsified invoices to circumvent sanctions that block Iran from the global financial system,” the report said. “Audits of Ghulam’s banks completed in May, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, reveal extraordinary details of overseas dollar transactions that auditors said raised money-laundering concerns.” The report said that numbers as high as 80% of the more than $250 million in wire transfers that could flow through the banks on a daily basis were “untraceable” and some of the money would go to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization, and to other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region. The Pentagon warned the White House as far back as 2012, during the Obama administration, that fraudulent activity was happening at the banks. Obama, who killed a massive federal investigation aimed a crippling the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, did not appear to take action against the banks. U.S. officials warned that there was as much as $800 million worth of fraud happening per week through the system in Iraq. The system that was set up had the New York Fed hold Iraq’s tens of billions of dollars worth of earnings from oil sales every year to send physical cash back to Baghdad to help stabilize Iraq’s economy and prevent the further spread of ISIS in the country. However, because Iraq was not part of Swift, a Belgium-based service that routes messages between banks, the Iraqi banks were not required to divulge who they were wiring the funds to outside of the country. “The Americans have nothing on me,” Ghulam, who now lives in a $40 million mansion in London, claimed in an interview. “I have nothing to do with money laundering or Iran.” The report said that he sold U.S. dollars on the black market and belonged to one of the Iranian-backed extremist groups that fought against U.S. forces. When Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq “saw the dollars to be made from the system, they started taking over private banks,” the report said. “They then entered the business of wiring money abroad, abusing the system by using fraudulent or inflated invoices for nonexistent imports, according to Iraqi officials and bankers.” Audits from a private firm found that his banks sent $3.5 billion outside of the country in the six months before the U.S. cut him off to a small number of “obscure companies in the U.A.E.” “The smallest transfer was for exactly $2,970,000, and the largest was for exactly $17,000,000,” the report said. “In the six months audited, one Iraqi company sent precisely $243,000,000 in 17 payments through Iraqi Middle East Investment Bank. The audit called the round numbers a red flag for money laundering because such amounts are almost never seen in legitimate business transactions.” When the Fed finally started investigating the business transactions in 2022, they “shut him down almost overnight,” the report said.

Legendary star James Earl Jones, known for voicing “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader in the franchise and his parts in movies like “Field of Dreams,” has died. He was 93. On Monday, the actor’s representative with the Independent Artist Group confirmed to Deadline magazine that Jones had passed away at his home in Dutchess County, NY. A cause of death has yet to be announced at the time of publication. Jones is widely regarded for his work on stage and screen, becoming one of the rare EGOT winners after taking home two Primetime Emmys, a Grammy Award, an Honorary Oscar, and three Tony Awards during his career, the outlet noted. James Earl Jones, the prolific film, TV and theater actor whose resonant, unmistakable baritone was most widely known as the voice of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader, died Monday. He was 93.https://t.co/k2OTXabcSa pic.twitter.com/a7Bqp914mW — Variety (@Variety) September 9, 2024 Jones is survived by his son, Flynn Earl Jones whom he shares with his second wife of 34 years, Cecelia Hart. Hart died in 2016, Variety noted. This story is developing. More to come…..       Related: 91-Year-Old James Earl Jones Using AI To Keep The Voice Of Darth Vader Alive

At more than seven feet tall, Shaquille O’Neal is a big man. It’s hard for him to fit in standard-sized places like elevators and cars. Shaq typically has to bend down and watch his head if he’s outside a space custom-designed for someone his height. Finding the right vehicle he can comfortably drive is no easy task. But when he found out about the new Tesla Cybertruck, he had to have one. Aside from his big body, he is known for his big heart. On Instagram, Shaq shared a video of his new Cyberbeast Cybertruck, which was totally custom-designed by Effortless Motors. The truck is impressive, but the back story is even cooler. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Effortless Motors (@effortless_motors) Shaq Found Effortless Motors By Mistake The company reportedly created a Cybertruck for LeBron James, but he was allegedly not happy when Effortless posted about it on social media. He seemed to have taken it as a breach of privacy. Shaq took it as an opportunity. In Shaq’s Cybertruck reveal video, he shared that if the car fit “Bron” it would fit him. So he hooked up with Effortless Motors and purchased the custom-detailed Cybertruck that Lebron had ordered. He also got himself a second car to go with it. Fans loved the video and the story. Shaq is bigger than life and always seems to go out of his way to do the right thing. A fan wrote, “That’s how you support people with upcoming businesses!!! Shaq is the man for this…” This person agreed, “Shaq’s a man of the people.” Effortless Motors’ work changed this person’s opinion of the Cybertruck completely. “Sheesh. I didn’t think it was possible to make this truck desirable.” “Super Shaq saves the day,” someone else wrote. This story’s featured image is by lev radin via Shutterstock. The post Shaq Shares Sweet Story As He Reveals Custom Cyberbeast Cybertruck appeared first on InspireMore.

The fan appeared to wrap both her arms around Jolie's waist

The star insists a prenup is in place to handle such matters

'Everyone in this incident is a victim'

He was the voice of Darth Vader

'Why isn't she winning by 20 points?'

The drone was used in an attempt to 'disable' the prison

I received the following article from the author. It briefly gives a history of Bigfoot and some of the early controversies. Then the writer describes a personal encounter told to him. If you have a detailed article or encounter report and wish to have it published, feel free to forward it to me."By Mark Hearn - Bigfoot in Michigan? Most people, even if they think they exist, think of the large “Hairy Guy” as being a recluse of the Pacific Northwest. In actuality, the alleged creature has been spotted in every state of the Union except Hawaii. Tales of this creature are documented as far back as 1700. Native American culture tells of encounters with Bigfoot and how they have come to accept him as just another species that live amongst them. Bigfoot has been depicted in Native American stories and honored in their totem poles as something to be revered.I have always been intrigued with the Bigfoot phenomenon. Back in 1967 or 1968, I first heard the headline story about Bigfoot. The story was about a film taken by an ex-rodeo rider named Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin. It all started while they were out horseback riding in Northern California and something spooked Patterson’s horse and he was thrown to the ground. While fumbling for his camera he starts shooting the film and it is very shaky. Once he has had a chance to compose himself and secure the camera you see a large, female creature, completely covered in fur, walking away from them. I believe it was a female because you can clearly see breasts on the animal.There has been much controversy over this film. Some people say it is just a person in a monkey suit – simply a hoax, while others believe it to be a true Bigfoot sighting- stating that something like this would be too difficult to replicate. At the time of the filming, costume designers from Disney Studios saw the film and believed there was no way to duplicate a costume that could even come near what was on the film. The muscles were clearly defined as the creature moved and they felt they could never duplicate something like that in a costume. It was at this point in time that many others came out of the woodwork and told tales of their encounters. This is when I got hooked!My personal story starts when my wife and I were vacationing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula last September in the town of Munising. Highway M28 runs through Munising and it is right on Lake Superior. This area is brimming with vast forests, trails, crystal clear lakes, and many, many waterfallsWe stopped into one of the local pubs one night and this is where I was fortunate enough to meet a local there named Laurie. Laurie was waiting on us and we were chit-chatting back and forth when before I knew it, the conversation somehow turned to Bigfoot. She mentioned that she had seen a Bigfoot, and had had several encounters with the beast. Right away that caught my attention. Laurie certainly did not seem to be looking for attention, or publicity or at all delusional. She was very excited about the topic, but also very matter-of-fact when she spoke about her experiences with Bigfoot. I will repeat the story of her first encounter in 1983Here is her story as it happened, which she has given me permission to re-tell.It was approximately 12:30 PM on a hot muggy July night in Munising, Michigan. Laurie and her companion decided to go to the lookout high on a bluff overlooking highway M28. They were sitting on top of the hood of their car chatting and passing time. After about a half hour Laurie hears a noise off to her right side about 25 yards or so away. That’s when they hear, and feel a loud chesty growl/ roar emanating from that direction. She said you could feel the vibration of whatever it was roaring at them. It was nothing that either one of them had ever experienced before. The sheer terror of what was happening made every muscle in their body instantly freeze up making it difficult to even breathe. As they sat there frozen in time, the creature started to jump up and down on the pavement. She said it was so loud that you could hear the skin on its feet slapping on the pavement and all the while making this God-awful shriek that was directed at both of them. It was almost like this thing was protesting them being there in its territory.About this time Laurie’s companion pushed her off the hood of the car and said, “GO GO GO”. As she jumped into the car and started to leave she realized that her companion was not inside the car but was stuck outside the door being dragged alongside down the hill. At this point, she stopped the car so that he could jump in. After getting in they could hear this thing, whatever it was, crashing through the wood and they could hear it pick up and slam down a nearby tree. Then it moved on down the hill away from where they were. After the shock of what they had witnessed they both were shaking and started crying, realizing how close they came to potential danger.After they had a chance to calm down, Laurie came to the conclusion that they had been approached by a Bigfoot. There was no doubt in her mind as to what it was that had paid them a visit that evening. She also said in regards to her encounter, “It could have killed us but it didn’t. It just wanted us out of the way”. Come to find out at a later date there are caves below that bluff but they were further down the hill on Lake Superior.As I said, this was the first of several encounters that Laurie has had over the years. I will no doubt tell the story of her next encounter at a later time. I thank Laurie for her courage to come forward with these stories."The Legend of Bigfoot: History, Mythos and RealityMonster Hunters: On the Trail with Ghost Hunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, and Other Paranormal InvestigatorsBigfoot Behavior Volume IIIA Metaphysical Guide To The Search For Bigfoot**********PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!HORRIFYING ENCOUNTERS! UNFORSEEN DIRE CONSEQUENCES | LIVE CHAT | Q & A (REAL EXPERIENCER REPORTS)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonOUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKSBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive MapHey, folks. Please feel free to share your thoughts & comments on the recently uploaded video of the CHICAGO MOTHMAN. I'm interested in what you have to say. Thanks. LonEXCLUSIVE VIDEO of CHICAGO MOTHMAN RECORDED----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio member - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS