A new twist in the still-developing Russian-Irish New York/New Jersey spy story.
Turns out erstwhile über-bear — and sometime ladies’ man – Nouriel Roubini was casually acquainted with Ms Anna Chapman, one of the 10 alleged Russian spies arrested in the US. Chapman, it seems, cut a somewhat glamorous swathe through the New York social scene, and, according to Roubini, the two “may” have met socially at a couple of parties, with Chapman befriending him on Facebook.
But, Roubini says he never had a “one to one conversation or meeting with her.”
Still, Roubini was a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors, and has ties to the IMF and various central banks. So even if Russian spies didn’t successfully target him, they probably should have. Think of the doom-and-gloom to be had. Has the Kremlin gone bearish recently?
Anyway, Chapman appears to have had her fingers in all sorts of finance-related pies.
Her Linkedin profile has her listed as a VP at KIT Fortis Investments, “Head of IPO at Navigator hedge Fund,” and “Slave at Barclays Bank” in London (hopefully not literally). Barclays has already told the Daily Mail it has no record of Chapman working in its investment division in 2004 and 2005.
And yes, Chapman’s Facebook profile is still up.
Complete with Wall messages about venture capital in Russia:
Ребята, всем кому интересно узнать про венчурное инвестирование, в Москве будет отличное мероприятие – Московский венчурный форум, участие бесплатное, информация на http://arip.ru/
And some rather glossy profile pics.
Related links:
HOT RUMOR: Roubini and The Russian Spy – EconomicPolicyJournal.com
BREAKING: Russian-Irish spy ring eyed ‘global gold market’ in…Jersey? - FT Alphaville
Anna Chapman, accused spy, is Internet sensation – SpyTalk
Russia warns of spy affair fallout – FT