A Russian-speaking Ukrainian immigrant and fraudster linked to organized crime posed as a Rothschild to gain close access to Donald Trump’s inner circle, even posing for a picture at Mar-a-Lago with the former president, according to an investigation.
Inna Yashchyshyn spent many years as a con artist under her given name before convincingly posing as a Rothschild to gain access to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence several times, an investigation by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found. The two outlets were given access to numerous documents obtained by the FBI as part of an investigation into Yashchyshyn’s extensive criminal activity. The discovery raises further scrutiny of Mar-a-Lago’s security, already in the national spotlight following the FBI’s dramatic raid earlier this month.
Yashchyshyn used “her fake identity as Anna de Rothschild to gain access to and build relationships with U.S. politicians[s], including but not limited to Donald Trump, Lindsey Graham, and Eric Greitens,” her business partner and possible lover, Valeriy Tarasenko, said in an affidavit.
It is unknown when she started going under the name Anne de Rothschild, but by May 2021, she had gained access to Trump himself, posing in several photos with him. She was pictured with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) alongside the former president in another Mar-a-Lago photo.
Spokesmen for Trump, Graham, and Eric Greitens, the former governor of Missouri, did not respond to requests for comment by the Washington Examiner.
Those who interacted with her at Mar-a-Lago were stunned after learning she was a fraud, noting how convincing she was in the role.
“It wasn’t just dropping the family name. She talked about vineyards and family estates and growing up in Monaco,” John LeFevre, a former investment banker and author who met Yashchyshyn at Mar-a-Lago, said.
Yashchyshyn denies the allegation, saying anything incriminating against her was fabricated by Tarasenko in an effort to frame her, including several different passports sporting her fake identity.
“I think there is some misunderstanding,” she said in an interview with the outlet. “That’s all fake, and nothing happened.”
“I am the victim right now. That’s all I can tell you,” she added.
The revelation has raised concerns about Mar-a-Lago’s security, especially given that so little is known about Yashchyshyn.
“The question is, was it a fraud or an intelligence threat,” Charles Marino, a former Secret Service supervisor, said. “The fact that we are asking this question is a problem.”
The presidential residence has suffered security breaches in the past. Two Chinese women were arrested after entering Mar-a-Lago while Trump was president, with one possessing two passports and a thumb drive with malware, according to the report.
While no foreign intelligence links are known with Yashchyshyn, court records hint at connections to organized crime. She is president of a fraudulent charity called United Hearts of Mercy, which has been dropped by several payment processors after fraudulent activity was detected. Court records given to the FBI and obtained by the outlet show a sworn statement by a certified accountant for the charity claiming that the organization is actually a front to produce illicit funds for organized crime.
Reporting by The Washington Examiner.
