Meghan and Harry cut-price house purchase linked to three mysterious businessmen once accused of $20m scam
MEGHAN and Harry's cut-price mansion purchase is linked to three mysterious businessmen, once accused in court papers of a $20m insurance fraud, The Sun can reveal.
The couple reportedly , six weeks ago from Russian Sergey Grishin - dubbed the ‘Scarface Oligarch’ because he bought the mansion from the movie - who has been accused of defrauding a bank of billions and of threatening his ex-wife, allegations he denies.
The 54-year-old Grishin old was also sued for allegedly trying to gain a $20m life insurance policy through false statements.
Fellow Russian Tim Pinkevich and Israeli national Dovi Frances were also identified in court papers.
However, the case was later dismissed and the three men denied all allegations of misconduct.
The lawsuit, by Zurich American Life Insurance Company (ZALICO), alleges that Grishin and his co-defendants allegedly failed to disclose medical information in order to obtain the policy, that would pay out $20 million to Pinkevich and Frances if Grishin died.
Court papers, filed in California and seen by The Sun, say: "Grishin made the aforementioned false representations for the purpose of inducing ZALICO to rely upon them with respect to underwriting and issuing the Policy.
"The false representations were material to ZALICO's decision to issue and deliver the Policy.
"Defendants Pinkevich and Frances are vicariously liable for the above false representations by Grishin by virtue of their agency relationship with Grishin, and each other, in connection with applying for and obtaining the Policy."
The three men strongly deny any wrongdoing. The case was eventually settled out of court, according to court filings, and ultimately dismissed.
Now the trio appear to be involved in the sale of Meghan and Harry's luxury new house - which the couple managed to snap up for almost half of its $27million market value, according to property records.
There is no suggestion that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were aware of the trio's past business dealings when they bought their new home.
Pinkevich - who has been described as Grishin's "right hand man" - is the signee on transfer deeds, obtained by The Sun.
Frances is believed to be the "middle man" who may have connected Grishin with Harry and Meghan through his Silicon Valley investment firm Group 11.
A family member revealed how Pinkevich leads a "jet set lifestyle" and carries three phones with him "at all times".
The source said: “He’s a very interesting guy and lives a jet set lifestyle, he’s currently in Europe where he deals with a lot of business, sometimes his wife even forgets where he is.
“It’s likely he linked up with Harry and Meghan through his connections in London, but he kept very quiet about this for obvious reasons.
“He brokers a lot of deals for rich people, mostly Europeans and Russians and some celebrities, not just real estate but planes, he once bought and sold one to Nicolas Cage.
“He’s a good right hand man, a real boss and very accomplished, he has three phones with him at all times."
The third businessman Frances, the founder of venture capitalist fund Group 11, told The Sun he was "very excited for the unconfirmed royal buyers."
When asked about his involvement in the house sale, he said: “I don't take commission, I’m not involved in financial terms of the deal, I just make the connection.
“If you're an investor of mine and another person is an investor of mine, and I happened to have heard they want to buy something and I know he’s selling something, I’m like, ‘Hey I think you should speak with him and I'll make the connection.'
"I cannot stress it enough, I’m not brokering deals."
He would not confirm whether Prince Harry, Meghan or Grishin were investors in Group 11 - which he described as a "pretty exclusive club".
“My focus is venture capital, not real estate brokering, having said that, my investors, many of them are known and influential families, I never disclose their names," he said.
“People are part of this club, one of the by-products in investing in my club, and I don’t want to sound pretentious, but it is a pretty exclusive club, not everyone can invest in my club, but the people who do are connected with one another, they meet one another, they speak with one another and I’m always happy to connect them if they pursue mutual interests.”
It has previously been reported how Grishin, who used to own a Russian bank, is - due to go to court in October.
He is accused in a lawsuit of holding a gun to his estranged wife's head and knocking out her teeth in a "violent rampage of domestic violence".
In one text message, he allegedly told his wife that he would cut her up "piece by piece from the tail until I reach your head", adding: "THAT'S WHAT WILL HAPPEN."
Sergey Grishin has vehemently denied these allegations.
The Russian oligarch claims that his ex and her friend Jennifer Sulkess had become lovers and were trying to defraud him of millions, claims the pair strongly deny.
In court documents, seen by The Sun, it is alleged that Grishin “sent numerous death threats, violent images and pornographic images to his wife and Sulkess in text and video messages”.
The court papers claim that he texted his wife saying he had a “Glock” gun with a “15-round clip” for her.
He allegedly added in the text: “Everything happens at the Four Seasons, on the boulevard, in daytime when there's plenty of light. Special bullets so they bury you in a closed casket.”
The Russian was accused in the court documents of trying to “kill” his wife by pointing a “gun with a silencer at her head” and forcing her “to strip at gun point”.
Grishin denies these allegations and is confident he will be vindicated in court, he said in a statement.
Jennifer Sulkess said in a statement: "Anna and I have vehemently denied Sergey Grishin’s false allegations against us from day one.
"We have consistently stated that he has used his wealth to weaponize the judicial system against us to cause financial ruin.
"His story has changed repeatedly and is packed with inconsistencies. We look forward to our day in court and receiving justice.”
There is no suggestion that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were aware of the allegations made between the two spouses before buying their home, or any of the other lawsuits against Grishin.
A spokesman for Grishin denied the accusations and claimed he was "the unfortunate victim of a fraud".
He told the Daily Mail: "His legal claim sets out that fewer than two months after their marriage, Ms Fedoseeva became romantically involved with another woman and thereafter entered into a scheme to defraud him out of millions of dollars to finance her and her lover's lifestyles.
"When that fraudulent scheme failed, Ms Fedoseeva made a series of false and highly defamatory allegations about Mr Grishin – including of physical threats and violence – which are utterly fanciful, hotly denied and have no basis in truth whatever, and which Mr Grishin trusts will be proven to be entirely false when the matter comes before the court."
In an official statement Group 11 said it was one of Silicon Valley’s "top decile performing venture capital funds" and that "it invests in revolutionary software companies that are redrawing the landscape of the financial services industry".
It added: "Since the inception of the firm we have drawn dozens of Limited Partners - institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals who have entrusted us with their hard-earned money.
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"Our limited partners community is rather vibrant and we often make connections amongst our investors if we feel like they have mutual interests.
"That said, we cannot confirm or deny any transactions that may or may not have taken place amongst our Limited Partners.
"Many of our investors are very private family offices and I hope you can appreciate their desire to keep their financial matters to themselves."
The Sun reached out to a representative for Meghan and Harry.
Calls to Pinkevich and Grishin were not returned.