Dan Rapoport: Who is the Putin commentator found dead in Washington DC?

A former investment banker and nightclub owner who left Russia after falling out with President Vladimir Putin,Washington DCDied of suspected suicide in

Latvian-American Dan Rapoport, 52, was found by the Metropolitan Police Department before 6 p.m.

Mr Rapoport was given first aid by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital, but was later pronounced dead, (MPD) said The Independent129}. statement.

MPD spokeswoman Briana Birch said Mr Rapoport's death is still under an active investigation.

"There is no suspicion of wrongdoing at this time," she said.

Mr Rapoport's widow, Alena, had previously denied her allegation that her husband's death was a suicide.

 The Independent said Mr. Rapoport had a cracked mobile phone, glasses and a Florida driver's license at the time of his death. was in possession of $2,620 in cash.

Who is Dan Rapoport?

Rapoport was born when Latvia was still part of the Soviet Union, and in 1980 his family was granted political asylum in the United States.

After graduating from the University of Houston in his 1991, he moved to Russia and worked in the financial and gas industries.

At the time, Russian public companies were sold off after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Rapoport reportedly represented several Russian companies in foreign transactions.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked for financial firm CentreInvest Group for 12 years in Moscow and New York.

During his stay in Moscow, Mr. Rapoport co-owned his Rooms in Soho, one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the Russian capital.

Alexei's aide Navalny told The New York Times in 2017 that Mr. Rapoport has been a supporter of Russia's main opposition leader since 2010.

Efforts to help Mr. Navalny come to power.

Upon his return to Washington, DC, he purchased a property in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC, popular with diplomats and political figures.

He then gave Jared and Ivanka Trump, who moved to the U.S. capital in January 2017 to take the position of senior adviser to the administration of Donald Trump, to sell the refurbished property to him for $5.5 million. Sold for $.

Mr. Rapoport moved. After selling his estate, he moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he founded his investment firm and met his now wife, Alena. they have a child together.

On LinkedIn, Rapoport boasted of his investment experience, calling it "more than $8 billion in private and public funding, including startups, funds, exchange listings, private placements and buybacks. We have been directly involved in the deal." financial action".

According to his profile, he was fluent in English and Russian and was able to converse in French and Ukrainian.

Mr. Rapoport has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine's efforts in the war against Russia and lived there when fighting broke out in February.

"Dan evacuated us from Kyiv and returned there to help his country," reportedly his wife Alena Rapoport. RBC

Conflicting reports of his death

This was made clear in a Telegram post by

Uniya Pugacheva claimed that Rapoport's dog was found in a park near her home in Washington, DC, along with his suicide note and money.

His wife Alena Rapoport denied her allegations that he had committed suicide.

She told the Russian-language news service RBC that an investigation into his death was underway and that the note was a suicide.

"It is with great regret that my daughter's husband and father are no longer with us," she said. 107}

reportedly told the Washington Metropolitan Police Department. The cause of death is under investigation, but there was no indication that anyone else was involved, the ministry said.

 According to a police report filed with The Independent , Mr. Rapoport was found with a cracked mobile phone, glasses and a He had a driver's license and $2,620 in cash when he died.

"Very upsetting news," said Bill Browder, a prominent Putin critic and friend.

"He was one of the first Moscow-based investors I know to publicly endorse Alexei Navalny. RIP Dan," Browder wrote. .