GPB Capital Holdings was incorporated in 2013. However, its precursors, people, and connections go back decades. We begin with an associate of Jeffrey Epstein:

1995: Jeffrey Epstein and Amanda J. “Mandy” Ellison incorporate Ghislaine Corporation in Florida. We come back to Mandy Ellison shortly.

1997: Future GPB insider Jeffry Schneider is permitted to resign from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc after allegations involving foreign clients who placed trades, reneged, and then inexplicably vanished. From BrokerCheck by FINRA:

1997: Jeffry Schneider takes a position with CIBC World Markets Corp. In 2002, he is discharged. FINRA BrokerCheck shows Schneider as having a checkered work history replete with many red flag events. Click here to read Schneider’s FINRA BrokerCheck report.

DOR BIOPHARMA 2002-2012

A brief history of the company Dor Biopharma is in order to explain, at least in part, the later formation of GPB Capital Holdings. Essentially, several key players in GPB Capital Holdings came together at Dor BioPharma in the period 2002-2012. Dor Biopharma, in all of its incarnations, has always been driven by high-powered financial investors. In this sense, Dor BioPharma exposed many of GPB’s future executives to the world of private equity and how to buy and sell companies using investor money. Dor Biopharma, which is now known as Soligenix Inc., also has connections to many powerful people.

Incorporated in Delaware in 1987 as ImmunoTherapeutics by Dr. Gerald Vosika, the firm focused on developing pharmaceuticals that could be patented. In June 1996, the firm sold 5,000,000 shares of common stock to Aries Domestic Fund and the Aries Trust, a Cayman Islands Trust, and 4,000,000 shares to Dominion Resources, Inc.

Shortly after the sale of its stock, ImmunoTherapeutics changed its name to Endorex in September 1996. An SEC filing in 1996 offers the details of this transaction. The SEC filing is signed by Lindsay A. Rosenwald, M.D. Chairman of the Board, President of Paramount Capital Asset Management, Inc., Paramount Capital Investments LLC and Paramount Capital, Inc. The SEC filing of 1996 states:

Dr. Rosenwald is an investment banker, venture capitalist and fund manager and is the sole shareholder of Paramount Capital, (1) a Subchapter S corporation incorporated in Delaware. Paramount Capital is the General Partner of Aries Domestic, (2) a limited partnership incorporated in Delaware. Paramount Capital is the Investment Manager to Aries Trust, (3) a Cayman Islands Trust.

This 1996 sale made Paramount Capital the majority owner of Endorex. Dr. Rosenwald went on to have quite a distinguished career in biotechnology and investment.

Under the guidance of Paramount Capital co-founder and executive Steve H. Kanzer, C.P.A., J.D., Endorex acquired Corporate Technology Development, Inc. (“CTD”) in November 2001. An SEC filing in 2006 states that “From 1995 until June 1999, Mr. Kanzer was a founder and Chairman of Discovery Laboratories, Inc.” This is important to note as future GPB Capital executive Evan Myrianthopoulous was a co-founder of Discovery Laboratories along with Mr. Kanzer.

In 2001 following its acquisition of Corporate Technology Development, Endorex changed its name to Dor BioPharma. The name was an acronym as stated in an SEC filing:

In August 2001, the Company executed a merger agreement with, and in November 2001, Endorex completed its acquisition of CTD, after receiving stockholder approval. In December 2001, we changed our name to DOR BioPharma, Inc. The new name, an acronym for Delivery of Oral Biopharmaceuticals, signaled our intent to further focus on drug delivery.

In 2001, David Gentile was a CPA working for his father Santo Gentile’s CPA firm Gentile, Pismeney & Brengel LLP (GP&B). Located on Long Island, the firm was founded in 1972. David Gentile and his father’s business partner Bernard Pismeny had larger ambitions than to remain in place as staid Long Island CPA’s.

2002: David Gentile and Bernard Pismeny incorporate Prospera Technology LLC in New York.  Prospera Technology was formed as company to purchase and hold shares in a biotech firm called Dor Biopharma. Why Gentile and Pismeny decided to purchase shares in Dor Biopharma is unknown at this writing. Prospera Technology LLC New York Incorporation Papers 2002.

2002: Evan Myrianthopoulus becomes a Director and CFO at Dor Biopharma Inc. Myrianthopoulous will later serve as a key executive at GPB Capital Holdings in charge of its Life Sciences portfolio. It is fair to assume that David Gentile met Evan Myrianthopoulous through Dor Biopharma.

2002-2004: As noted in an SEC filing, former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig (1924-2010) served as a member of Dor Biopharma’s Strategic Advisory Board. Dor Biopharma was well connected in power circles through General Haig:

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Mr. Haig currently serves on our Strategic Advisory Board. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from December 2002 to November 2004. Since 1984, Mr. Haig has been Chairman and President of Worldwide Associates, Inc., a Washington D.C. based international advisory firm. He served as Secretary of State (1981-82), President and Chief Operating officer of United Technologies Corporation (1979-81), and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (1974-79). Previously, he was White House Chief of Staff for the Nixon and Ford administrations, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and Deputy National Security Advisor. Mr. Haig currently serves on the Board of Directors of MGM Mirage, Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, Inc. He is also the host of his own weekly television program, “World Business Review”.

During this period of time when General Haig was serving on Dor’s Board, the company had (and still has) a BioDefense division. This division is primarily focused on developing an antidote for the highly poisonous and deadly Ricin toxin. Dozens of people in the West have been killed in Ricin attacks as it is a cheap and easy-to-manufacture toxin. When General Haig retired from the Board in 2004, he was replaced by his son Alexander P. Haig. A 2004 press release detailed this and other personnel changes at the Miami-based company.

March 17, 2003: Dr. Ralph Ellison, husband of Epstein associate Amanda J. Ellison, is appointed CEO and President of Dor Biopharma Inc.

August 21, 2003: Epstein associate Mandy Ellison and her husband Dr. Ralph Ellison are listed as selling shareholders of Dor Biopharma in a 2003 Prospectus Supplement:

July 9, 2004: Citing personal reasons, Dr. Ralph Ellison resigns as CEO of Dor Biopharma Inc. His time at Dor is very brief. Documents show that Ralph and Mandy Ellison flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private plane and were guests on his private island along with a list of other influential people. See the searchable Lolita Flight Logs.

2004: Jeffry Schneider takes a position as senior vice president with Paradigm Global Advisors, the fund of hedge funds owned by Hunter Biden and his Uncle James. Joe Biden is then the senior US Senator from Delaware. See our article on the Hunter Biden-Jeffry Schneider connection.

2006: Jeffry Schnieder forms Onyx Capital LLC. According to an article in Seeking Alpha, Schneider used Onyx to market the bogus Ponta Negra funds from inside Hunter Biden’s Paradigm’s offices.  Corporate filing on Onyx. Alla Babikova, who will appear later in our narrative, worked at Onyx:

2007: Jeffry Schneider and David Gentile meet, this according to Schneider’s blog. Schneider does not mention the circumstances under which two of the future principals of the GPB Capital Holdings meet. At this time, Schneider is still working for Hunter Biden while simultaneously operating Onyx Capital. The Texas Secretary of State later issues a forfeiture of Onyx’s charter on January 28, 2011. The Biden-Schneider connection is part of our ongoing investigation.

January 12, 2009: In a Securities Purchase Agreement between Dor Biopharma and a select group of individuals, Rina Chernaya — the daughter of alleged Russia mobster Michael Cherney — purchases $2,280,000 in Dor Biopharma shares. The purchase is made through McAnna LTD., a firm owned by Rina Chernaya and her sister Diana. In the same agreement Bernard Pismeny of GP&B purchases $11,400 in Dor shares. See the Securities Purchase Agreement on Scribd. This document places Michael Cherney, through his daughters, in a relationship with Bernard Pismeny and David Gentile who first purchased Dor Biopharma shares in 2002 via their Prospera Technologies LLC holding company.

February 13, 2009: A prospectus filed by Dor Biopharma with the SEC lists Prospera Technology  as a selling shareholder of Dor Biopharma along with Biotex Pharma Investments, LLC — See page 47, footnotes 3 and 8 of the prospectus.

• Biotex Pharma Investments, LLC. All voting or dispositive power for Biotex is vested in Robert Kessler, the US agent for Michael Cherney.
• Prospera Technology LLC, an entity owned by Bernard Pismeney and David Gentile. All voting or dispositive power in Prospera Technology is vested in David Gentile.

Biotex Pharma Investments, LLC is incorporated in Delaware. The man behind Biotex is Robert Kessler. Who is Robert Kessler? He is the agent for the Russian billionaire and reputed mobster Michael Cherney. Kessler handles Cherney’s US business interests and is intimately associated with Cherney e.g. in Gliklad v. Kessler we read of a court ruling adverse to Kessler that involved Cherney. In this case Gliklad was owed several hundred million dollars by Cherney. In a search for Cherney’s money, Gliklad claimed that Cherney fraudulently conveyed $1.8 million to Kessler:

Robert Kessler acts as the New York agent for Michael Cherney, a Russian businessman. Kessler performs services and manages various business entities which are affiliated with Cherney…

Kessler executed two promissory notes in favor of McAnna, L.P., which plaintiff contends is affiliated with Cherney and his family. The first note, dated May 14, 2007, was in the amount of $1,000,000. The second note, dated September 2, 2008, was in the amount of $500,000. Cherney purchased the notes from McAnna, L.P., for the sum of $1,800,000. Subsequently, he sent Kessler a letter dated July 27, 2013, stating, “On this day as your belated birthday present! I hereby forgive the principal amount outstanding of $1,511,800 plus all accrued interest under notes dated on May 14, 2007 & September 2, 2008” (Alioto Aff., exhibit 10)…

The holdings set forth in these cases are dispositive, and compel estoppel against defendant in the present action. Kessler is estopped from claiming to this Court that the conveyance from Cherney to defendant was compensation when defendant, under penalty of perjury, asserted to the IRS that the conveyance was something entirely different. Although defendant contends that the gift was really compensation, he proffers no W2 forms, 1099 forms, bank statements, or evidence that he has amended his 2014 tax returns to reflect such fact.

Accordingly, Kessler is estopped from recasting the gift from Cherney as compensation to defendant, and defendant has failed to show the existence of a genuine issue of material fact rebutting plaintiff’s prima facie case.

Accordingly, it is

ORDERED that the motion for summary judgment on the complaint herein is granted, and the Clerk is directed to enter judgment in favor of plaintiff against defendant in the amount of $1,800,000.00, together with interest at the statutory rate from July 27, 2013, as calculated by the Clerk, together with costs and disbursements to be taxed by the Clerk upon submission of an appropriate bill of costs.

The foregoing constitutes the decision and order of the court. Date: July 7, 2016

September 30, 2009: Dor Biopharma changes its name to Soligenix Inc. The press release is issued by Soligenix CFO Evan Myrianthopoulous.

2010: Interpol issues an arrest warrant for Cherney in 2010 on money laundering charges filed in Spain. This arrest warrant prevents Cherney from traveling outside of Israel where he now lives in exile. Cherney is a member of the class of Russian oligarchs who became wealthy by purchasing State assets on the cheap in the 1990’s following the collapse of the USSR. When Vladimir Putin rose to power, many of these Russian oligarchs engaged in capital flight to move money out of Russia. Much of this was conducted in two schemes. The first was called The Russian Laundromat;  the second The Troika Laundromat. From the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project:

Laundromats are complex systems for moving money that allow corrupt politicians, organized crime figures, and wealthy business people to secretly invest their ill-gotten millions, launder money, evade taxes, and fulfill other goals.

According to Spanish authorities, Michael Cherney a/k/a Michael Chernoy a/k/a Mikhail Semenovitch Cherny is a Ukrainian-Israeli and the leader of one of Russia’s most infamous crime groups, the Izmailovskaya.

November 5, 2012: Evan Myrianthopoulus resigns from Soligenix Inc.

Summary: The period 2002-2012 at Dor Biopharma sees future GPB Capital Holdings executives meet: David Gentile and Evan Myrianthopoulous. Additionally, Jeffry Schneider and David Gentile meet in 2007. Bernard Pismeny is in the mix as is Michael Cherney, his daughters Rina and Diana Chernaya, and his US agent Robert Kessler.

The stage is set for the creation of GPB Capital Holdings. In our next installments we will bring in a few more people and three explosive documents that lay bare certain shocking details.