Home  /  News  /  Grants and Awards  /  Alumni Hotchkiss professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is the first recipient of the annual Noel L Cohen Award from the American Neurotology Society (ANS) Balkany was recognized during ANS’s Annual Meeting on September 11 Balkany’s career-long contributions to our subspecialty especially as they relate to all aspects of cochlear implantation and the ethics of treating deaf patients,” said Fred F professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering Chandler Chair in Otolaryngology at the Miller School of Medicine Cohen Award for Significant Contributions to Otology and Neurotology to honor Dr The award’s qualifications are no stretch for Dr whose achievements in the field include more than 250 peer-reviewed publications Balkany worked with cochlear implant originator Dr William House and witnessed the cochlear implant’s evolution from a homemade apparatus built with copper wire and a Bunsen burner to today’s medically and technologically advanced devices Balkany founded the University of Miami Ear Institute in 1990 and advanced training in the treatment of deafness and other disorders of the ear The program has since treated and now follows more than 3,000 cochlear implant patients many of whom were babies and went on to become debate champions and Silver Knight Award winners Balkany is also the founder of the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training which provides advanced training for neurotologists Other honors include the Hallpike-Nylen Award of the Barany Society (Uppsala Sweden); the Graham Frasier Award of the Royal Society of Medicine London; the Fowler Award of the New York League for the Hard of Hearing; and the Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce He is a member of the Medical Alumni Association Hall of Fame They met at the first cochlear implant conference in 1982 “I’m very happy to have received this award “The main purpose of the award and its main meaning to me is to honor the work of Noel Cohen Tags: American Neurotology Society, Dr. Fred Telischi, Dr. Thomas Balkany, Noel L. Cohen Award The Medical Faculty Association awarded four grants to Ph.D students through the organization's Best Research Award Honors Eighteen faculty members from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and UHealth – […] David Davis spoke about the impact of plastics on cognition in the recently released “We’re All Plastic People Now." Copyright © 2025 University of Miami Health System A rightwing power couple who have run a rich Paris suburb for almost 40 years and who are close friends of the former president Nicolas Sarkozy have been given prison sentences for money laundering were convicted of hiding at least €13m from tax authorities via a complex network of offshore companies between 2007 and 2014 It is the latest in a long catalogue of legal problems for the Balkanys, who in 1996 were given suspended prison sentences for using town hall staff to do their housework including one employed as a private chauffeur Patrick Balkany was first elected mayor in 1983 Whenever he has been barred from public office who have a luxury home in the West Indies and a magnificent residence at Giverny not far from Monet’s celebrated home were convicted of tax fraud last year and the conviction was upheld on appeal in March A judge said they had “aggravated the longstanding erosion of trust in Republican values” cigar-chomping mayor admitted some of the charges against him and was cleared of corruption after the court ruled that investigators had failed to prove he received a villa in Marrakesh from a Saudi millionaire in return for a property deal spent five months in prison and was released in February owing to ill health was spared jail on the grounds of her fragile health after attempting suicide a year ago In a separate trial they were found guilty of “aggravated money laundering” last October They appealed against the verdict hoping for a more lenient sentence but instead the appeal court was more severe giving him a five-year jail term and his wife four years The latest case took four years to investigate and spread to Switzerland Egypt and the Dominican Republic as detectives followed a trail of offshore and front companies The couple have been investigated on several occasions and they have previous convictions for conflicts of interest they argued that their wealth was mostly inherited: Isabelle Balkany’s Tunisian father made his fortune producing rubber; Patrick Balkany’s father – like Sarkozy’s father a Hungarian Jewish immigrant – survived deportation to Auschwitz and founded a luxury prêt-a-porter clothing chain in postwar Paris “It’s not my fault if I was raised in a 3,000 sq metre townhouse in the 16th [arrondissement] and went to school in a Rolls,” Isabelle told Le Journal du Dimanche in 2015 Levallois-Perret residents kept voting for them Patrick Balkany also represented the Hauts-de-Seine region the couple were banned from holding elected office for 10 years and the judge ordered that property including the Moroccan villa be confiscated They are unlikely to find themselves in prison cells any time soon Their lawyer described the sentence as “excessive” and said they were considering a further appeal and would seek an “accommodation” of the sentences based on their age and ill health You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Sherpa use the power of law to bring about systemic change Meet our team of lawyers and jurists and our Board of Directors Our commitment to accountability and transparency Changing the law to ensure a legal framework that better protects human rights and the environment Initiating legal action over violations perpetrated by economic players Empowering civil society and contributing to the circulation of knowledge and practices Exploring legal avenues and developing innovative legal concepts Exposing and ending the corporate capture on the law and public opinion Strengthening the legal liability of multinationals and facilitating access to justice for victims Taking action against illegal financial practices and giving the victims of globalisation the resources to defend themselves information and civil society initiatives in the face of threats and obstacles The Balkany trial must not hide the role played by bank and financial intermediaries in the proliferation of illicit financial flows antimoney laundering experts Chanez Mensous and Laura Rousseau say in the opinion pages of Le Monde newspaper This case sheds a light on the dysfinction of our political and judiciary institutions and the systematic use of tax havens to hide the origin of funds It shows how easy it is for public exposed persons to corruption risks hide the origin of their assets Among the multitude of financial schemes that were discussed during the trial the one enabling occult repatriation in France of assets held abroad is in fact well-known by experts The mechanism has recourse to a « back-to-back loan » The funds that have to be laundered is transferred from an off-shore bank then blocked to guarantee a loan obtained from a European bank by the launderer before being wired to a French bank account Loan default is a mean to mobilise the dirty funds deposited in the offshore bank the deposited money enables a credit multiplier that confers to the funds a legitimate economic rationale It is therefore important that the Balkany trial shall be the mean to seek truth on the machinery that undermines social cohesion and fuels the sense of impunity of our political elites Your support is essential in our fight for a fairer world we can fight with complete independence and impartiality We owe our freedom of speech and action to you One piece I could kill for is a completely mad Directoire gilt-bronze mantel clock ($33,705–$56,175) attributed to Pierre-Etienne Romain and ornamented with a dozen lightning bolts shooting out of a churning gold storm cloud; a nearly identical model is at the Élysées Palace which had been the entrepreneur’s city residence since 1969—the year he wed Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy a daughter of Italy’s last king—doesn’t offer much of a takeaway for the average homeowner though the reception rooms’ audacious palettes are electrifying so even though Zellinger de Balkany’s schemes appear brash—he was a swashbuckling figure with a polarizing reputation—they are à la mode “A subtle mix” is how Sotheby’s describes the furnishings of the yellow-and-white salon though the effect is anything but discreet Restored and refreshed between 2011 and 2014 by Zellinger de Balkany himself—Italian decorator Federico Forquet offered advice on the fabrics—the side-by-side rooms are flamboyant settings perfect for coutured guests gossiping amid candlelight and the regal treasures that the man of the house had been acquiring since his new-money youth with fireplaces flanked by busts on pedestals have been so extravagantly rehabilitated that they look utterly brand-new a gentleman on the tour whispered to his companion “Of course it’s real—but it also could be fake.” Zellinger de Balkany’s personal style—call it swaggering elegance or ham-fisted glamour because either works—was obviously informed by 18th-century Bourbon monarchs as well as France’s multinational connoisseurs of the 20th century particularly Mexican mining heir Carlos de Beistegui the arch-aesthete laird of Château de Groussay The iconic Louis XV–style dining chairs from Beistegui’s Paris mansion are apparently the same ones (the set of 18 is expected to bring $16,853 to $28,088) that stand in Hôtel de Feuquières’s dining room and the door cases in the third-floor library recall similar architectural elements at Groussay Zellinger de Balkany would commission Russian artist Alexandre Serebriakoff to record his personal interiors in crystalline watercolors (Ditto the reception floor’s soulful smoking room a densely furnished Proustian space that was decorated by Jacques Garcia.) Low-ceilinged and homey this area was handled in the 1980s by Henri Samuel one of history’s most sensitive tastemakers seductive installations have aged beautifully with all the humanizing dents and dings—parched leather faded lampshades—that the reception rooms lack The first floor and the third floor were decorated for different purposes with the former meant to impress and the latter intended to be lived in Silk Road–style fabrics and carpeting romantically clash in Samuel’s hands and a bedroom stretched with an airy flowered fabric is complemented by woodwork painted in matching pastel tones Baths have a country-house feel: simple and masculine possesses a bit of the reception floor’s pomp furnished with an impressive suite of Empire ormolu-mounted flame-mahogany furniture and a boxed-in tub surmounted by a vast artwork depicting 1795’s Battle of Hyères Islands Given that Réalités once described Zellinger de Balkany as “the Napoléon of real estate,” knowing that he slumbered in an unapologetically imperial chamber seems entirely appropriate Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker restent libres (mais inéligibles)La cour d’appel de Paris a rendu sa décision dans l’affaire de fraude fiscale Patrick et Isabelle Balkany sont condamnés à trois ans de prison Cette fois, c'est vraiment la fin. Et ils le portent sur leurs visages. Ce mercredi matin, la cour d'appel a confirmé la culpabilité des époux Balkany, rejugés pour fraude fiscale prononcée des peines d'emprisonnement de trois ans ferme à leur encontre sans renvoyer Patrick Balkany en prison pour autant Leurs condamnations sont assorties d'une peine d'inéligibilité avec exécution provisoire le préfet doit au préalable prendre un « arrêté de démission » Patrick et Isabelle Balkany sont arrivés sans mot dire au palais de justice avançant doucement et prenant appui d'une main sur l'épaule de son épouse il a écouté la présidente de la cour prononcer « à l'encontre de Monsieur Balkany une peine quatre ans d'emprisonnement dont un avec sursis sans mandat de dépôt compte tenu de son état de santé » LIRE AUSSI > Patrick Balkany remis en liberté pour raisons médicales Réduite au regard de celle qui avait été prononcée en première instance le 13 septembre dernier - quatre ans ferme avec incarcération immédiate - « La fraude fiscale d'une ampleur exceptionnelle » la justifie « Les époux Balkany ont mis en œuvre des moyens sophistiqués pour ne pas apparaître à l'administration fiscale et pour masquer l'origine de fonds prétendument successorale La fraude est d'autant plus « grave » que « longtemps député Balkany a participé aux votes de lois de finances Il avait conscience de l'importance de l'impôt » Se référant aux calculs de l'administration fiscale la cour évalue à plus de 2,90 millions d'euros l'impôt sur le revenu que le couple a éludé Et 1,3 millions d'euros pour l'impôt sur la fortune Elle n'épargne pas Isabelle Balkany non plus elle était dépositaire de la confiance publique elle a « reconnu une faute » mais le couple n'a « pas exprimé de regrets » « M. et Mme Balkany ont persévéré dans leurs dénégations, notamment en ce qui concerne la villa Dar Guyci à Marrakech » Villa dont les époux de Levallois ont toujours contesté être les propriétaires Silencieux au sortir de la salle d'audience Mes Romain Dieudonné et Pierre-Olivier Sur qui se sont refusés à tout commentaire Patrick et Isabelle Balkany ont ensuite pris un café en face du palais de justice celui qui est encore officiellement maire (LR) de Levallois a commenté l'inéligibilité avec exécution provisoire Isabelle [NDLR : maire par intérim depuis le 13 septembre] gère » Les époux Balkany ont rejoint l'hôtel de ville de Levallois dans la matinée Lire aussi > Les Balkany renoncent à se représenter aux municipales à Levallois-Perret la cour d'appel rendra une ultime décision Il s'agit du volet blanchiment de fraude fiscale pour lequel les époux Balkany ont été rejugés en février dernier Pour cette infraction, le parquet général n'a pas requis de mandat de dépôt à l'encontre de Patrick Balkany. Il a demandé cinq ans de prison, dont un avec sursis à son encontre; quatre ans, dont la moitié avec sursis à l'encontre de son épouse. Les Balkany ont cinq jours pour se pourvoir en cassation. Ce mercredi, ils ne prévoyaient pas de le faire pour ce volet de l'affaire concernant la fraude fiscale. Profitez des avantages de l’offre numérique Par acte SSP en date du 26/03/2025 il a été constitué une SASU dénommée Groupe Cannelle&Co Capital : 20€ Siège social : 6 RUE DE MERSEBURG 92320 Châtillon Objet : Activité de conseil audit et prestations de services notamment dans le domaine de l'informatique ; Développement sites web et d'applications web et mobiles.; Formation non professionnelle dans les domaines précités Président : Camille DUMONT 6 RUE DE MERSEBURG 92320 Châtillon Durée : 99 ans Transmission des actions: les cessions d’actions sont soumises à agrément Admission aux assemblées et droit de vote: tout associé peut participer aux assemblées sur justification de son identité et de l’inscription en compte de ses actions Chaque associé dispose d’autant de voix qu’il possède ou représente d’actions Par acte SSP en date du 07/04/2025 il a été constitué une SASU dénommée Isabelle Croo Coaching Capital : 1000€ Siège social : 126B Rue Brancas 92310 Sèvres Objet : Conseil et coaching d'équipes et de dirigeants ; Conseil et accompagnement en ressources humaines en commerce et stratégie d'entreprise ; Achat et location de bureaux; Formation non professionnelle dans le leadership et toutes activités connexes ou liées Président : Isabelle CROO 126B Rue Brancas 92310 Sèvres Durée : 99 ans Par acte SSP en date du 08/04/2025 il a été constitué une SASU dénommée DIFY Partners Capital : 1000€ Siège social : 16 rue de la Belle Feuille 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT Objet : Conseil pour les affaires et autres conseils de gestion (non réglementés); Apporteur d'affaires; Assistance opérationnelle dans tous les domaines activités connexes ou liées; Coaching personnel professionnel et bien-être à destination des particuliers des entreprises et des collectivités; Accompagnement individuel et/ou collectif visant l'atteinte de ses objectifs de vie et/ou professionnels; Coaching conseil et formation dans les domaines du management la communication et l'animation d’événements (hors spectacles vivants); E-commerce sous toutes ses formes notamment dans le domaine de la formation Président : Nadia SERVOLIN 16 rue de la Belle Feuille 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT Durée : 99 ans Par acte SSP en date du 01/04/2025 il a été constitué une SASU dénommée Impact Us Capital : 1000€ Siège social : 34 boulevard Jean Jaurès 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt Objet : L'activité d'agence de publicité et de communication; Conseil et assistance opérationnelle en matière de relations publiques de stratégie et de marketing (tout canal); Toutes activités d'agence de Communication en relation publiques et en marketing au moyen de tous supports notamment par internet et tout média interactif; Conseil pour les affaires et autres conseils de gestion (non réglementés); Apporteur d'affaires; Assistance opérationnelle dans tous les domaines Président : Cécile DARMAYAN 34 boulevard Jean Jaurès 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt Durée : 99 ans Siège social : 12 rue Eugène Caron 92400 COURBEVOIE Capital : 1000 € Objet social : L’activité de conseil en matière de stratégie d'études d'organisation et de productivité,\nd’études de marché et de recherche ainsi que la fourniture de tous renseignements d'ordre\néconomique ou commercial\nL’activité de conseil de direction générale et tout autre fonction gestion du changement\nCoaching individuel et collectif\nRecrutement et management de transition\nAssistance à la création la reprise et la transmission d’entreprise\nContribution aux Conseils d’Administration : Administrateur de sociétés\nDéveloppement et exploitation de technologies de l'information et de la communication\nMise en relations et apport d’affaires\nCourtage via l’obligation d’inscription à l’ORIAS Président : M BERIOT Quentin demeurant 12 Rue Eugène Caron 92400 COURBEVOIE Admission aux assemblées et exercice du droit de vote : Chaque actionnaire est convoqué aux Assemblées Clauses d'agrément : Les actions sont librement cessibles entre actionnaires uniquement avec accord du Président de la Société Durée : 99 ans à compter de son immatriculation au RCS de NANTERRE TrendingCommercialNew YorkAHow a developer’s legal troubles cost 35 low-income tenants their homesFaced with default and then jail Levi Balkany’s scheme to rent units at a Harlem condo project unraveled Developer Levi Balkany has pulled out all the stops Caught in the middle are 35 formerly homeless tenants ejected from their apartments as a result of Balkany’s maneuvers But Balkany’s lender isn’t going down without a fight Asset manager Arena Investors filed a complaint this week to deny the developer’s latest bankruptcy claim when Balkany’s Happy Living Development tapped Arena for a $26 million bridge loan to cover the cost of a condo project at 308 West 133rd Street in West Harlem Less than six weeks later, the developer defaulted on the debt Arena claims it extended a forbearance agreement giving Balkany the chance to cure the default but the developer failed to right the loan the default stemmed from “predatory lending.”  Balkany claims he ran into trouble with interest payments after the city overassessed the building’s property taxes “Similar sized condo apts in the area had less than a third of the property taxes than this property,” Balkany wrote in an email the developer claims Arena imposed a deadline in the loan terms for Balkany to obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy for the project “I was naive in agreeing to it,” Balkany conceded “It was a artificial trip wire inserted by Arena to put the loan into default.” the developer asked Arena if he might rent the units instead He planned to try for a 421a tax abatement to clear up the property tax issue The now-expired program offered a 35-year break on property taxes “I was flatly and outrightly refused,” Balkany said adding that his lender extended two alternate options: pay off the loan by lowering condo prices leasing up 26 apartments to voucher holders in another breach of the loan terms alleging Balkany was in default as it had only approved sales of the project’s units The court issued a temporary restraining order barring Balkany from “further illegal conduct,” legal documents show and continued to rent units to voucher holders The court granted Arena’s motion to appoint a receiver to oversee Balkany’s debts But the day before the receiver took control Balkany put the property’s ownership entity into Chapter 11 bankruptcy A bankruptcy filing will automatically stay ongoing lawsuits Balkany hoped the filing would let him see his rental plan to fruition “I filed bankruptcy and that eliminates receiver and restraining on leasing,” Balkany wrote in a July 2020 email included in court records Balkany says the bankruptcy court was initially sympathetic to his problems the court flagged the developer’s income statements Balkany had reported receiving just $180,000 from the city to house the voucher holders The developer says he was misled by Michael Fernandez of Steward Management who he claims introduced him to the city’s voucher program and ultimately pocketed the funds distributed SIGN UPFernandez could not be reached for comment “To say that Steward Management duped me is a huge understatement,” Balkany sued the borrower in December 2020 over his personal guaranty on the loan Arena nabbed a judgment for over $40 million “Defendant did not pay one penny of what he owed,” Arena’s attorney alleged in a recent complaint The lender served Balkany with a restraining notice requiring him to freeze any assets owed to the firm Balkany spent at least $500,000 in violation of that notice Arena claimed the transfers amounted to fraud and asked the court to force Balkany to respond to an informational subpoena of financial documents Balkany refused to answer and the court ruled he was in contempt giving him until April of last year to cough up the requested financial documents and any funds he had transferred despite the restraining notice Meanwhile, Arena picked up 308 West 133rd Street in a public auction for $22 million then filed suit against the building’s 35 tenants to regain control of the property had rented apartments at Balkany’s building with the city’s Department of Homeless Services But after a district court barred Balkany from renting out the units a bankruptcy court rejected the building’s leases A New York Supreme Court judge ultimately awarded Arena control of the building and the right to eject its renters all but five of the 26 affected families had moved out Those remaining tenants attempted to stay their ejection for another year so they might find a new home The court denied the motion in a March 21 order As his tenants searched for alternative housing the developer’s last day to cure his contempt of court leaving Balkany to face “the near certainty of going to jail,” Arena claims the borrower filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Whereas a Chapter 11 filing allows a company to restructure its finances Chapter 7 results in the liquidation of a debtor’s assets to repay its creditors But Balkany’s filing showed the developer had a mere $31,000 to his name He also claimed that he had earned no income since January 2020 despite the rents collected at 308 West 133rd Street Arena has filed a complaint to deny Balkany’s attempt to discharge his debts The lender alleges that those debts are “non-dischargeable” because of Balkany’s schemes which included intentionally withholding funds and property “rightfully belonging to [Arena].” Arena’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment One of the strongest and most successful organisations within polo in France is Sainte Mesme It is named after the splendid castle set in the outskirts of Paris that once belonged to the French aristocrat Robert de Balkany Not only was Robert one of the most renowned personalities of polo in France but he also was an enthusiastic polo player who had been close to the best representatives of the sport of his time was Robert who started polo in Sainte Mesme as he is married to Robert’s daughter “When Robert de Balkany decided to step out of polo at 60-years-old he encouraged me to follow his steps and he gave his entire organisation to me in order to allow me to play along with his professionals” I used to play with a very young Juan Martín Nero and Agustín Zavaleta – the Zavaletas used to spend long seasons in France” The bonds between the Zavaleta family and polo in France continues today – Birger’s professional player and right hand when it comes to the organisation and horses is Clemente Zavaleta Jr. who is also married to Birger’s daughter Clemente frequently plays with Sainte Mesme Says Clemente: “Sainte Mesme is a large organisation that has many horses because Robert (NR: Birger’s son and Robert de Balkany’s grandson) plays the Polo de Chantilly and the Polo de Paris at the same time The organisation is large and strong enough in order to be as competitive as possible in each tournament” Robert Strom is the one who plays the most father and son are playing in a Sainte Mesme lineup – they already won the Tournoi Yvan Guillemin and are currently playing the Parisienne Triple Crown and are the title holders of the most important competition of the sophisticated club in Bagatelle “When my son Robert started with his polo in order to be able to play with him” “We have won many tournaments together in the last years; in addition where Robert has a lot of chances to play the Copa Cámara de Diputados” “we aim at setting an organisation up in Argentina as big as the one we already have in Europe” And Clemente adds: “There are already a horse breeding in Argentina Birger has his own personal breeding and he is currently riding three horses of that personal breeding at the Polo de Paris” Already successful in France and Sotogrande with a strong organisation that is growing more and more every day “we’ve been talking about going to go to England And concludes: “Robert has been improved a lot as a player and I am sure he will go to England soon BRADENTON — A 55-year-old trial lawyer who in Erin Brockovich-style has challenged the federal government to clean up a former nuclear weapons plant might hold the key to the Brasota Mortgage case Caron Balkany disputes the notion that Brasota a mortgage broker and lender that overextended itself to the tune of $50 million in losses for its investors where money from new investors was used to pay off the old Balkany says the roughly $3 million that she her husband and her law firm invested in the Bradenton business bought specific money-making mortgages and that she has the paperwork to prove it She also has 12 former clients who she says made the same kind of buy Balkany thinks there are loads of other Brasota investors in the same boat it could mean that while she and the other investors like her get back their $33 million up front the remainder of Brasota’s 1,778 investors would get less than half what the trustee in the case thinks he can recover for each person with what he has collected so far is trying to wring what cash he can out of Brasota with the idea that all investors will have an equal footing seeking $1.4 million that she earned on her investment during the last four years “It is the most important litigation that we have,” McHale said he would be paying each investor 38 cents on the dollar McHale worries that if Balkany is successful others might be encouraged to follow her legal line He has estimated that their claims would add up to $33 million it would leave the remaining investors with about 14.5 cents on the dollar Balkany points out that McHale won’t know what amount he is really talking about until Oct has been working for free for the past 20 years The money she invested in Bradenton’s Brasota Mortgage helped support that lifestyle She has spent the past few years trying to force the federal government to clean up Rocky Flats a former nuclear weapons plant outside Denver She was at her “off-the-grid” home on Summerland Key in the lower Florida Keys when Brasota collapsed in February She quickly waded into the court proceedings hired a bankruptcy lawyer and started playing watchdog while the pension plan for her law practice invested another $2 million and several of Balkany’s former clients also put some of their money into Brasota The legal arguments in the dispute between Balkany and McHale center on whether she has enough evidence to support her claims McHale says nothing short of possession of the original borrower’s note will support a secured claim McHale said that Balkany did not own any of the mortgages she has laid claim to Balkany says that she had the notes kept in escrow with Brasota’s lawyer Balkany says she had an agreement with the business’s late founder and that several documents show the intent of that agreement Balkany and McHale tried to negotiate a settlement Rodney May told McHale to file a separate lawsuit said he’s prepared to litigate to the “bitter end.” The suit seeks to invalidate Balkany’s claim and to force her to pay back all of the interest she and her pension plan earned on her Brasota investments in the last four years “She forced our hand on this,” Markham said “We’re going to aim every gun we have back at her.” or to require McHale to come up with more specific allegations in his pursuit of the interest payments She also argues that McHale can’t single her out for the return of interest payments He accused Balkany of trying to agitate other investors “If anyone else takes the position she’s taking Balkany’s earlier filings show that she is preparing for a battle She gathered affidavits from Brasota’s former investor relations employee Although she has never been involved in a bankruptcy case before Balkany says she’s prepared to dispute McHale’s accounting evidence that Brasota was a Ponzi scheme When she moved to Santa Fe from Miami after Hurricane Andrew she became involved with Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety The group sued the federal government over radioactive air emissions from Los Alamos National Laboratory and won had never practiced environmental law before Her work before taking on the environmental cases was for people like Olga Del Valle a Miami woman who was made a quadriplegic in a shooting that killed her husband Balkany later helped her win a medical malpractice suit and set up a trust Del Valle and other clients learned about Brasota through Balkany but she says they decided to invest after doing their own research She is representing those clients once again as Brasota creditors which she attends with her bankruptcy attorney her attention would be focused on Rocky Flats “The Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime: And How We Caught Them Red Handed,” with Wes McKinley It ranked 55,828th Tuesday on Amazon.com’s list of book sales Most of the book’s sales are through a dedicated Web site The proceeds are going to nuclear safety groups made for Robert de Balkany by Florence's Tosco Ticciati stand in a loggia at Château Balsan in Èze France.Photo: Courtesy of Christie's Images LTD 2016Save this storySaveSave this storySaveSome seasons ago—like some Black Knight out of nowhere—Robert Balkany and challenged Elie de Rothschild for primacy among the lords in that resort even whose mayor has a title.” When Women’s Wear Daily ran this gossipy item in 1967 the dashing Romanian-born commoner—his faux-noble surname was his father’s invention—was stepping out with Italy’s Princess Maria Gabriella but when they divorced in 1990 Balkany lived on in princely splendor thanks to a fortune built on shopping malls Christie’s London will auction furnishings and art from Balkany’s Côte d’Azur retreat and his piano nobile dwelling in Rome’s historic Palazzo Lancellotti The haul is so stupendous—arguably even finer than last year’s Balkany auction at Sotheby’s Paris—that it justifies the considerable expense of shipping some 700 items from the Continent to Christie’s King Street premises Dramatic objects freighted with provenance were Balkany’s passion One is a powerhouse 1824 silver-gilt centerpiece depicting Hercules knocking the stuffing out of the serpent Hydra (est which belonged to George III’s son the Duke of York Another showstopper is the monumental pair of celestial and terrestrial globes (estimate not available at press time) that graced the Venetian palace of café-society grandee Carlos de Beistegui Balkany’s eye for distinguished lineage extended beyond objets d’art the American heiress who divorced the Duke of Marlborough to marry industrialist Jacques Balsan a 1930s yacht known as Gaviota IV when it was owned by Arturo Lopez-Willshaw Carlos de Beistegui's antique Italian globes loom in Balkany's Palazzo Lancellotti apartment in Rome He achieved them with eminences such as Henri Samuel a Christie’s chairman who attended lavish dinners chez Balkany the shopping-center king was “a shopaholic who went after great What’s less great is still fabulous by any standard notably a pair of massive malachite urns and their lapis lazuli mates They could easily pass as imperial Russian but were fashioned by Tosco Ticciati the Florentine hard-stone studio that supplied the towering obelisks that punctuate Balkany’s crowning commercial achievement—Euroma2 Get quality reporting directly into your inbox the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office has requested that in addition to his prison term Patrick Balkany  be banned from public service for ten years and that some of his family’s property be confiscated Balkany’s wife Isabelle - the deputy mayor of Levallois - would apart from her prison term be required to pay a US$560,000 fine for money laundering tax fraud Isabelle was absent during the proceedings allegedly because she was recovering from a suicide attempt "This is the most serious breach of public probity a corruption of this magnitude is an attack on democracy and an outrage to the 600,000 volunteers who work in municipal councils," Prosecutor Serge Roques said on Thursday Between 2007 and 2013 the Balkanys squirreled away $14.5 million into various offshore accounts as well as villas they held in the West Indies and Marrakesh, The Brussels Times reported Other reports reveal details behind the Balkanys financial habits including the fact that the pair - whose personal wealth reaches $17.9 million - paid no wealth tax between 2010 and 2015 From 2010 to 2013 the couple bought more than $97,000 worth of airplane tickets in cash And while they had previously stated that their wealth was inherited The Brussels Times noted that a state attorney claimed that they had failed to procure the necessary documents to prove this The Balkany’s purchase of their Marrakesh property was a subject of particular interest in the trial. The villa was offered to Balkany by the Saudi promoter Mohamed Al-Jabar in exchange for favorable conditions for a real estate payment Al-Jabar wished to make in Levallois, according to Le Monde The transaction was assisted by close associates of Balkany who now face the possibility of prison terms for corruption The Balkanys have previously denied owning the Moroccan property but they often visited it. They persuaded their son Alexandre to sign rental contracts to disguise the real ownership of the villa the latter is being fined $112,000 for money laundering tax fraud by signing fake rental contracts Five of the six defendants in the trial have also been asked to collectively pay a $1.1 million fine The proposed sentence for the 70-year-old Patrick Balkany prompted outrage from his lawyer “We demand against Balkany what we sometimes do not even demand in crimes of blood,” Dupond-Moretti told reporters Thursday Beginning on Monday the defense council will have three days to try to minimize the requested sentences made by the prosecution The judgement will be handed down on September 13 Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits Dodgy money from around the world has poured into secretive shell companies based in Luxembourg “Citizenship for sale” has come under increasing scrutiny from governments and security agencies Canada released on Monday its 2021 federal budget in which it announced intentions to create a public registry of corporate.. TrendingCommercialNew YorkARabbi’s son wants to bring $48M condo project to site of Harlem churchLevi Balkany is the son of disgraced Brooklyn rabbi Milton Balkany son of disgraced Brooklyn Rabbi Milton Balkany wants to replace a Central Harlem church with a 46-unit condominium building The site was formerly home to the Morning Star Pentecostal Chapel which had been issued several vacate orders for structural problems with its building Balkany could not immediately be reached for comment The developer’s father was previously sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a federal insider-trading scandal which saw him try to con hedge fund mogul Steve Cohen into “donating” $4 million to a couple of Jewish day schools in exchange for protection from the investigation SIGN UPBalkany is not new to the condo business Meanwhile, Harlem’s condo market appears to be heating up, with East Harlem in particular seeing a jump in the number of units in its pipeline (To see more property developed in Harlem, click here) You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. PeopleBalkany's career path marked by persistence and politicsPanoro Energy chairman draws on experience to prepare company for ‘the last commodity supercycle’ ?Brooklyn Bundler?: A court convicts Rabbi Milton Balkany The storied career of an indomitable ultra-Orthodox political fixer appears to have entered its final phase with the conviction of Rabbi Milton Balkany known to the press as the “Brooklyn Bundler.” Balkany was found guilty November 10 of attempting to extort $4 million from Steven A allowed only to see his doctor and to attend synagogue once a week as he awaits sentencing whose only official job is as dean of a Boro Park girls yeshiva has been known for decades as a major donor to conservative politicians capable of bringing home significant government cash to causes dear to the Orthodox community He has also escaped conviction in a number of previous financial scandals “There has never been [another] Balkany,” New York Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said “No one has ever wielded that kind of influence Balkany rose to prominence in the late 1980s when he was among those to connect the ultra-Orthodox community to politicians as a source of political donations He was dubbed the “Brooklyn Bundler” in 1990 by the now defunct Common Cause magazine for his prowess in bundling together political contributions from numerous donors to favored politicians for maximum impact Known as a major giver with ties to deep ultra-Orthodox pockets Balkany was particularly influential during the mayoralty of Rudolph Giuliani “He was a power player; he had access to City Hall; he had a lot of friends,” Sheinkopf said when he was indicted on charges that he had threatened to facilitate the delivery to law enforcement authorities information about alleged insider trading at SAC Capital Advisors Balkany said that he was in touch with an inmate at an upstate New York federal prison who would talk to federal investigators unless Cohen paid $2 million to Balkany’s girls yeshiva and $2 million to a second yeshiva Balkany told lawyers for Cohen’s firm that cash to the second yeshiva would eventually be repaid In surreptitiously recorded conversations between Balkany and SAC Capital representatives that were played during the trial Balkany boasted of his political connections a different senator from Washington comes to my house for lunch or dinner,” he said on the tapes citing such present and past senators as Orrin Hatch There’s little cause to assume that Balkany is exaggerating The catalog of boldface political players gives a hint as to the level of Balkany’s access carefully cultivated through years of donations which gave him the ability to deliver things for his community that some thought were not possible to do Money matters in politics; he was able to raise it.” Balkany worked to construct an image of himself as a rabbi to the powerful was that Rabbi Balkany wanted to be known… as the rabbi who Republican national leaders felt very comfortable inviting to deliver invocations and to be seen as the national rabbi,” said Ezra Friedlander a lobbying firm specializing in representing not-for-profits from the Orthodox community Balkany is tied by marriage to the Rubashkin clan which ran the kosher meatpacking firm Agriprocessors until it was hit with criminal charges in 2008 “I am very saddened by these latest developments,” Friedlander said “has done so much for our community in the realm of education and advocacy and just simple chesed,” using the Hebrew word for “compassion.” “He was a great human being and a great person to deal with,” said Isaac Abraham a former New York City Council candidate from the Satmar community “He did a lot for this community and leaves a big vacuum.” Asked whether the conviction changed his perception of Balkany But Balkany has been embroiled in a series of funding scandals over the past decade and has escaped serious consequences in all but the latest incident A January 2000 Daily News report found that Balkany was charging Jewish families for his help in accessing child day care vouchers for low-income families The report raised suspicions that applications submitted via Balkany received special consideration from the city as families elsewhere got put on long waiting lists More than half the vouchers went to four heavily Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhoods and the number going to the Brooklyn ZIP code in Boro Park where Balkany’s school and several others he helped were located was about five times the number of vouchers distributed in Manhattan and the Bronx combined In 2003, he was the subject of a federal indictment charging him with misuse of $700,000 granted to his yeshiva by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development The grant was intended to be used to pay the mortgage on a new building for disabled preschoolers including $78,000 that he simply signed over to himself Prosecutors dropped the 2003 charges after Balkany cut a deal admitting he was wrong and agreeing to travel restrictions and to pay restitution to HUD it appears that Balkany’s attempts to extort Cohen may have ended his career for good “Oftentimes people who once were powerful and are no longer powerful find themselves desperate and that may be what happened here,” Sheinkopf said and it’s hard to be told you’re not powerful anymore.” People who knew Balkany say that there is no one else operating in the Orthodox community today who is comparable to him Friedlander said that organizations in the Orthodox community that need lobbyists should use professionals like him “They should turn to a professional government relations company that lobbies one that does it in full compliance with the law “Turning to a person on an ad hoc basis — ‘Do me a favor Do you know someone there that can help out?’ — that’s not a very effective method of advocating for your cause.” Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter @joshnathankazis Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.[email protected] I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association Sadness mingled with celebration at the annual Chicagoans of the Year luncheon where talk of tragedy gave way to the redemptive power of “humanity at its best” The 2009 Chicagoans of the Year: (from left) Ronald Holt On January 21st, nine days after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti, some 200 guests gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel to honor Chicago’s six Chicagoans of the Year for 2009 The 16th annual luncheon—this year sponsored in part by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage—mingled a celebratory air with equal notes of loss and redemption Applauded for her Main Stay Therapeutic Riding Program in McHenry County Sara Foszcz noted that the horrors of Haiti also provided “a perfect reminder that people have a terrific capacity to give.” And Annette Nance-Holt—who established Purpose Over Pain to help ease the sorrow and end the scourge of gun violence—eulogized the Holts’ 16-year-old son who was murdered in 2007 while riding a CTA bus “Blair never knew that in death he was going to make a mark on the world,” she said the event’s longtime mistress of ceremonies who fought to save the Walter Gropius–designed buildings at Michael Reese Hospital The jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis—honored for Proclamation of Hope his latest CD—thanked his wife and “muse,” Jan and the city that had been his lifelong home “Chicago offers such a wealth and variety of music,” he said “and I was influenced by it.” Sam Harris an ebullient survivor of the Holocaust who successfully led the campaign to build the $45-million Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie hoped the institution would serve as a “beacon of light that teaches our children about the darkest time of human history”—a time that revealed “people at their worst [and] humanity at its best.” Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered In the new issue of N'Shei Chabad Newsletter, Perel Balkany relates why her grandmother and her great-aunt were both named Doba, after a request by their father. Full Story “I could not believe my ears,” says Senior Editor Rishe Deitsch of the N’shei Chabad Newsletter “Perel Balkany was explaining to me why her grandmother was named Doba and her great-aunt was also named Doba I thought I was not understanding her right The original Doba was married with two children her younger sister Luba was engaged and both she and her chosson held visas to leave Russia and go to America ‘Your sister’s children need a mother marry your brother-in-law and raise the children.’ She listened to her father and the first child she had with her husband/former-brother-in-law was named after her sister Doba…” This little girl Doba grew up to marry Zev Wolf Nisnevitch and many years later she became Perel Balkany’s grandmother Perel tells her stories in the upcoming Shevat issue which is rich with inspiring stories of Jewish survival against fierce this issue presents the important stories of Jews who escaped death and destruction of their home countries Zev Wolf was drafted into the Russian army He used to wake up extra early each morning to sneak out to the forest to put on tefillin (any religious observance was strictly forbidden) One day he was spotted while wearing his tefillin He was immediately demoted from his status as a sergeant A few days later the troops that had previously been under his command were sent out on a dangerous mission ‘Your karobitchky [boxes] saved you.’ Even the goyim realized the power of his tefillin.” This issue marks the debut of “Delving Deeper,” a new column started by Yonit Tanenbaum of YQ Media (yq-media.com) “Delving Deeper” offers the chance for readers who have not yet been published but know deep down they have something valuable to share The first column presents the moving story of Lolita Leah Becoil Engelson whose family escaped Beirut under dangerous circumstances chased by Palestinian refugees who terrorized her Jewish neighborhood “I am constantly fascinated by people’s stories which is what drives my career in journalism and advertising,” Yonit told COLlive fuses my love for stories with my desire to encourage more relatedness between us.” Yonit hopes each article printed in this series will encourage readers to further know In our continued effort to increase awareness about igun we have printed Rabbi Michoel Green’s responses to readers who voiced their concerns about his agunah stories Rabbi Green received many letters in response to his article from questions on how to help a friend in need of a get to angry readers calling him a “feminist” (!) Rabbi Green specifies why igun for a woman is a more serious issue “A chained husband has the option of heter meah rabbanim the chained wife has no such option…the mere possibility of mamzerus is unacceptable.” While many well-meaning friends and relatives might feel there are halachic reasons to withhold a get especially when secular courts are involved Rabbi Green explains it is extremely important to involve a beis din as soon as the issue of igun arises He writes: “Please note that every case is different and a competent beis din needs to be consulted for each one.” Rabbi Green urges anyone who is approached about a get problem to get involved “I know that numerous Shluchim are actively trying to facilitate a get for someone in their area you might have just the right connection with someone to be instrumental.” To read more, pick up your copy of N’shei Chabad Newsletter at your local Crown Heights store, email [email protected] or subscribe on our website www.nsheichabadnewsletter.com Take advantage of the sale (12 issues instead of ten) now through Chof Bais Shvat: SPECIAL SALE ON N’SHEI CHABAD NEWSLETTER Go to nsheichabadnewsletter.com/subscribe Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story Karobitchky: Reb Zev Wolf with his tefillin Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) love these glimpses you give us into the upcoming issues – makes me all the more excited to get my copy! Beis Shmuel (E”H 129) mentions a name Dobrush and says it’s a nickname for Devorah that picture is exactly how I remember your grandmother in the kitchen of the two women in the photo cooking for Bais Rivkah Chicago is poised to demolish a historic campus Balkany in front of a Gropius-designed power plant on the Reese hospital campus When Chicago recently dreamt of hosting the 2016 Olympics its bid included the demolition of an unused hospital complex to make way for an Olympic Village Then a young architect in town named Grahm Balkany sounded alarm bells that some of the buildings and other aspects were the work of the pioneer of modern architecture and creator of the Bauhaus–Walter Gropius Once Chicago lost the Olympics to Rio you’d think the city would have called off the bulldozers obviously you don’t know “The Chicago Way.” Did you celebrate when Chicago lost the bid for the 2016 Olympics We would never celebrate anything that is a loss for Chicago Only that part that sees this as an opportunity to revisit the premature decision to demolish Michael Reese Hospital After Chicago lost the Olympics I spoke with Molly Sullivan the spokeswoman for the planning department They continue with preparations for demolition She said the site–by the lake–remains attractive to developers and the city wants new housing and retail there to connect the flourishing South Loop and South Side I asked her if it’s important to the city to preserve the legacy of Gropius and the Bauhaus in Chicago and she said she’d rather defer on that for now (Balkany laughs and sighs at the same time.)  Developing and preservation are not antithetical Despite the fact that they have no viable plan for the site It’s said that in Chicago even taxi drivers argue about architecture Do the people care about saving Gropius’s work The roofline of Gropius’s Cummings Pavilion (1958), on the Michael Reese hospital campus. Click here to launch a slide-show tour of the campus. This is one of the richest bodies of work by Walter Gropius anywhere Michael Reese captivated him on and off from 1945 to about ’59 When you’re there it’s as if you’re inhabiting Walter Gropius’s vision of city planning It’s what he called a “total work of architecture.” You see a complete relationship between landscape and buildings with spaces flowing in and out of one another and the relationship of those spaces perfectly proportioned and yet organic and free The landscapes were alive and changing and reflected the principles of Gropius and his colleagues at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Michael Reese was his first major independent project and in it he showed his ability to collaborate with master Modernists to bring out their vision while bringing his own ideas to the table Sasaki brought playfulness to the campus that was a foil for the rigid and streamlined forms of Gropius We came off of Lake Shore Drive at 31st Street You feel a slight rise there as you go over the Illinois Central tracks You’d come over the tracks and you’d be in this Utopian city the embodiment of principles of many Modernists That day I looked to my right and in the distance I could see a pavilion in the center of the campus You could never see that building from here!”  The city had clear-cut They only left vegetation around the perimeter The hospital board always had a policy to keep the landscape open and people used it and treated it like they were public parks whom Chicagoans call “Richard the First,” allowed Louis Sullivan buildings to be torn down Destroying Michael Reese is the second chapter of the demolition of the great works of Chicago There hasn’t been a demolition tragedy on this scale since 1972 when Louis Sullivan’s Stock Exchange was torn down if you believe in “sweet revenge,” do you think that if Chicago had respected the ghost of Gropius that they might have fared better in the Olympic voting Chicago’s bid said we’d have one of the most environmentally friendly Olympics ever Destroying all these trees and these buildings burst a hole in that What chances would you give the campus of being spared That changes every day but I feel we’re gaining Today I’ll be optimistic and say there’s a 75 percent chance the Michael Reese campus will be saved Now that the Olympics bid is over officials can support us–it’s less politically contentious This could be a potential tourist draw with nearby works by Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright and the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology designed by another modern master and former Bauhaus director So how would you adaptively reuse these thirty-seven acres All the vision for the Olympic Village can be incorporated beautifully into an expansion of this campus as a new hyper-environmentally-sensitive neighborhood The hospital buildings lend themselves to reuse as residences A commuter train stops right at the entrance to this campus Make this transit-oriented development and fill in the gaps with cutting-edge architecture That would be a wonderful legacy of this entire saga That Gothic Revival limestone field house that they were tearing down when you first came to Chicago and that you tried to save–what ever happened to it Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the latest updates subscription deals delivered straight to your inbox Well he got that right but he's pleading that his only error was making a stupid mistake is the fact that he was blackmailing Cohen in order to raise money for two Brooklyn schools But we're not too sure how seriously we can take what he says after his lawyer made this defense You want to find him guilty for using bad judgment Aren't all crimes exercises in bad judgment that deserve punishment Maybe that stupid defense seomwhat helps the rabbi's case, probably. Because it's idiotic. And so could the rabbi's convuluted blackmail scheme the rabbi told the hedge fund that someone he was counseling knew about an instance of SAC Capital's insider trading The hedge fund making $2 million donations to two Brooklyn schools the Bais Yaakov school (turns out Balkany is the dean) and another school Apparently Balkany kept going back to negociate with SAC which was working with the FBI at this point and he kept talking and digging himself deeper into a hole of obvious guilt And in a very rare move the judge even ordered Rabbi Milton Balkany to be locked up instantly because she was "seriously concerned" he might try to run if he was allowed to remain free on bail Balkany tried to extort SAC Capital out of $4 million by claiming he would help them cover up insider trading allegations The rabbi plead guilty back in December His lawyer argued that his client chose Cohen because he'd heard the founder of SAC Capital was "Jewish and .. Balkhany should have been locked up for longer From the Post: is profound," she said.But [Judge] Cote cut Balkany a break from sentencing guidelines that recommended at least seven-plus years behind bars citing his "lifetime of good works" and the "generosity of spirit" attested to in 87 letters of support According to the Post he "smiled and blew kisses to about a dozen family members as he was led off by deputy U.S While his attorney told the court that Balkany "would remain silent due to a planned appeal," when the opportunity presented itself for him to talk 20-minute speech" during which he apparently got 'so excited he had to adjust his adjust his yarmulke to keep it from falling off." Here's earlier coverage of the story > In court today, according to Reuters evidence was released that implicates Chip Skowron the doctor who allegedly "tipped" Chip Skowron and SAC Capital in the same insider trading scandal From Reuters: The rabbi made his claims about improper trading by Skowron and FrontPoint in telephone calls with a federal investigator who was looking into the allegation that Balkany was trying to extort money from Cohen Balkany tells a federal investigator that he has heard FrontPoint's Skowron sometimes received advance tips on the federal approval process for new drugs he sold it to others," Balkany told a federal investigator according to a transcript of one of the taped phone calls if we're wrapping our spinning head around it correctly Milton Balkhany heard something about both Chip Skowron and Steve Cohen He tried to blackmail Steve Cohen saying he'd go public with the information - or else Then in the midst of a court case over blackmailing Steve Cohen evidence of Balkany's saying that he heard Chip Skowron had traded on information before emerged and the two separate cases of insider trading became oddly intertwined MIAMI – Three-year-old Amina can’t hear the bombs and bullets that rake through Baghdad Her family is too poor to pay for advanced surgeries that could enable her to hear Army in Iraq and the International Kids Fund Amina was flown to the United States on July 30 for a procedure at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Medical Center which has brought more than 125 children from around the world to Miami for treatments launched an effort Friday to raise $40,000 to pay for a cochlear implant to be surgically placed in Amina’s ear The device turns sound into electrical impulses that activate the hearing nerve The journey from Baghdad to the United States began with an e-mail A friend of Amina’s father in Iraq contacted a friend in the U.S Anderson had been in Iraq in 2003 with the 352nd Civil Affairs Command and had made a lot of contacts sent an e-mail to a doctor with whom she once worked in New Mexico Thomas Balkany is now at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and is chairman of the otolaryngology department that specializes in cochlear implants “We fully expect her to live a normal life once she goes back to Iraq,” Balkany said Friday “In the midst of all this horrible killing that’s going on (Anderson) and his colleagues have taken time to care about one little deaf girl.” First we had to find out how to go about doing this,” Anderson said in a telephone interview from Fort Bragg so I arranged for her to go to an Army hospital in the Green Zone over there.” It was once Saddam Hussein’s family hospital to obtain visas and were flown by IKF on a commercial plane to Miami where they will stay for a few months until the procedure is complete said through an interpreter that he began to see hope “that we might be able to get some help here in the United States.” “I am extremely happy that this is happening now,” said Mohammed who didn’t want his last name used for fear of retribution once he returns home to Iraq “I am so grateful … that my daughter now will hear one day.” Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy By PETER ALLEN FOR MAILONLINE Updated: 10:14 BST Brigitte Bardot has accused one of Nicolas Sarkozy's closest political allies of being a 'big fat wide-boy liar' after he bragged that he had seduced her when he was just a teenager a senior member of France’s ruling UMP party and a Paris mayor has regularly boasted about a night of passionate with the legendary sex symbol But the famously caustic Bardot categorically denied the liaison 'I know with whom I have slept and it certainly was not with this fat wide-boy liar an unusually inelegant cad,' she wrote in a statement to the press 'For a politician who claims to be credible this lowliness shows his true personality.' 'I know who I slept with': Brigitte Bardot is furious at claims she was seduced by a toyboy French politician said that he managed to seduce the star of ‘And God Created Woman’ during a seaside weekend at the height of the Swinging Sixties In a country where infidelity among senior politicians is taken for granted the claim has boosted Mr Balkany’s electoral popularity following his latest boast during a live TV discussion of Saturday a  furious Miss Bardot said: ‘I am beginning to get fed up hearing Mr Balkany boasting that he had an affair  with me 'The next time I will go to court  for damages and interest.’ with Nicolas Sarkozy at the Taj Mahal in 2008 people have told rubbish about her,' said Christophe Marie head of animal protection at her foundation 'She feels wounded and soiled and doesn't understand the Levallois mayor's actions unless it's a desire to get people talking about him to sell his books.' said his encounter with Miss Bardot took place in Deauville Miss Bardot is meant to have told the 18-year-old Mr Balkany: ‘Listen I can't  sleep with someone if I am not in love.’ the year Balkany claims he was seduced by the French actress Miss Bardot was married to the German tycoon Gunter Sachs at the time but divorced him in 1969 before marrying her current husband She gave up her film career in the 1970s to become an animal rights activist and to lobby against the ‘Islamification’ of France the current government is one of the most sexually  charged in history with ministers regularly admitting to affairs outside marriage Immigration minister Eric Besson has just confessed to having a secret lover half his age while even President Sarkozy was once notorious for his bed-hopping - though not since he met and married supermodel Carla Bruni Mr Balkany regularly socialises with the couple and often offers the media tidbits of information about his friend Mr Sarkozy's personal life The comments below have been moderated in advance We are no longer accepting comments on this article The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group Lila D Le couple Balkany va directement à la case prison sans passer par la case départ après révocation de leur placement sous bracelets électroniques S’ils avaient réussi jusqu’à maintenant à l’éviter l’heure de l’assignation à résidence est désormais révolue Nous avons sélectionné les réactions les plus poilantes sur Twitter Sinon ya pas grain de riz qui peut aller l’aider ? https://t.co/AXSWsEmVnW Les #Balkany rentrent en prison après une centaine de violations de leurs bracelets électroniques.Mood…pic.twitter.com/WQpsxMHEAq Justice laxiste ahem #Balkany pic.twitter.com/cJqGQCwaaJ « Monsieur le Juge, comprenez que quand ça sonne, j’ai besoin d’aller au portail » 😂 #Balkany pic.twitter.com/EmW1zfq91a On a retrouvé la boîte de médicaments qu'Isabelle Balkany aurait pris....Je lui souhaite un prompt rétablissement..🙏#Balkany pic.twitter.com/rIfmJUWl6t #Balkany pic.twitter.com/SSDvRxYq1R à droite on crie que la justice est laxiste. Les Balkany vont en taule comme prévu par la loi, la droite crie que la justice est trop sévère. #Balkany Dites donc, Balkany en taule, Le Pen a l’hosto, it’s a good day for democracy. https://t.co/ajG55ckUOQ Dites vous que les Balkany étaient assignés à résidence mais la résidence est tellement grande que ça bipait — Le bracelet électronique c’est trop contraignant et la prison c’est pas pour nous, merci de nous fiche la paix !— pic.twitter.com/xImfBg2DkY Slavic culture crosses from Eastern Europe and the Balkans through to Asia It encapsulates a real diversity of countries but which share  strong cultural roots in Slavic languages Their commonalities are apparent in Aotearoa New Zealand today through gloriously rich musical traditions often heard on festival stages Celebrating the cultures of Slavic peoples who have settled here, festival SlavFest 2024 is a one-day festival in Poneke Wellington 13 April Dalmatian and Bulgarian folk dancers (many this year coming from Ōtautahi Christchurch) and six Pōneke based Eastern European bands (Krakerjack Slavfest provides celebration and education in the music food and traditions of these different communities Musician Irina Mosina emigrated from the Netherlands to Aotearoa in 2005 She grew up in Russia in the South West near the Ukrainian border an area she says was a melting pot of different cultures Today she says gets to sing in “something like” nine to 11 different languages Two musical groups that celebrate Slavic traditions have come to play a big part in Mosina’s life – Vox Ethno and Balkany Vox Ethno are a six singer female vocal group with five-piece band who perform gypsy-style traditional folk music from the Balkans and Europe Their music encompasses the sounds from Serbia Mosina cites the influence of the women choirs of Bulgaria and since the 1980s Mystère Des Voix Bulgares have been a global sensation Originating from members of the “25-piece orchestra of chaos” The Balkanistas - which Mosina also performed in - their music is infectious and infamous in Pōneke Wellington for getting people of all ages dancing Slavfest originated several years ago after Mosina’s experience volunteering in a children’s language centre They organised concerts to fundraise and recognise the Day of Slavonic Alphabet (a day celebrated across nations but an official public holiday in Bulgaria since 1990) See terms of use for easy access to all your favourite programmes son épouse toujours à l’hôpitalConvoqué ce lundi matin à la gendarmerie de Vexin-sur-Epte (Eure) l’ancien maire de Levallois-Perret s’est vu signifier son incarcération après la révocation de son placement sous bracelet électronique Patrick Balkany va passer sa première nuit à la prison de Fleury-Mérogis (Essonne) C’est en tout cas l’argument avancé par la procureure de Rouen (Seine-Maritime) lorsqu’elle a mis la peine de l’ancien maire de Levallois-Perret à exécution Patrick Balkany a été convoqué à 10 heures lundi 7 février à la gendarmerie proche de son domicile de Giverny (Eure) sachant qu’il serait incarcéré dans la foulée Et pas seulement pour quelques jours puisqu’il lui reste environ quatorze mois à purger La peine qui lui vaut ce retour derrière les barreaux a été prononcée le 4 mars 2020 par la cour d’appel de Paris, qui l’a condamné à trois ans d’emprisonnement pour fraude fiscale Le juge d’application des peines avait accordé un aménagement de peine : « la détention à domicile » l’administration pénitentiaire a posé l’appareil à la cheville de Patrick Balkany elle aussi condamnée à trois ans de prison pour fraude fiscale Le couple aurait pu prétendre à une libération conditionnelle en mars 2022 le placement sous bracelet électronique a été révoqué pour l’un comme pour l’autre Patrick et Isabelle Balkany ont eu beau faire appel Comme a pesé le fait que couple ne s’est pas efforcé de régler sa dette de plus de 5 millions d’euros au fisc Sauf que dans la décision condamnant les Balkany pour fraude fiscale « il n’est pas question de dommages et intérêts à payer à l’administration fiscale » « La dette fiscale fait l’objet d’une procédure administrative » « La cour d’appel estime qu’elle n’a pas à se prononcer sur ce point J’estime que la procureur aurait pu missionner des experts pour vérifier la compatibilité de l’état de santé de mon client avec l’incarcération propose en collaboration avec ses partenaires fonciers pour la construction de maisons neuves définies par le constructeur avec un contrat de construction de maison individuelle Assurances et garanties du constructeur (RC professionnelle Garantie de livraison à prix et délai convenu) La Rédac' Isabelle Balkany devient chroniqueuse pour Cyril Hanouna ©Je vous avoue que moi-même je tombe des nues face à cette révélation fracassante Alors qu’Isabelle Balkany était présente sur le plateau de Touche pas à mon poste sur C8 pour se confier sur sa condamnation son avenir ou encore les infidélités de son mari (non mais vraiment qui ça intéresse ?) l’animateur Cyril Hanouna a fait une annonce pour le moins surprenante Condamnée le 27 mai avec son mari Patrick Balkany à plusieurs années de prison pour fraude fiscale et blanchiment l’ancienne adjointe au maire de Levallois-Perret sera finalement placée sous bracelet électronique pour des raisons de santé Cela ne l’empêchera pourtant pas de travailler comme chroniqueuse pour Cyril Hanouna.  Une semaine après la dernière mise en examen de son mari Patrick Balkany Isabelle Balkany était invitée sur le plateau de Touche pas à mon poste ! Elle en a profité pour s’exprimer sur les différentes affaires liées à son couple comme les détournements de fonds publics ou l’infidélité de son mari Cyril Hanouna a alors fait part de son envie de travailler avec Isabelle Balkany pour son émission Balance ton post ! Elle devrait faire sa première apparition début mars Isabelle Balkany rejoint l'équipe de @BalanceTonPost en tant que chroniqueuse ! #TPMP pic.twitter.com/B6XD8fK7am Merci @Cyrilhanouna de ton, de tes courage(s), celui de l'Amitié et celui de la Liberté de parole pour tous, mon combat depuis toujours ! Heureuse et fière de faire partie de ta belle équipe de @BalanceTonPost ❤️❤️❤️ Nouveau bad buzz ou réelle envie de donner une seconde chance le moins que l’on puisse dire c’est que sa condamnation ne semble déranger personne Est-ce qu’il est vraiment utile de commenter davantage  Réinsertion des délinquants : des progrès réalisés.#Balkany #TPMP https://t.co/NbjeY2fxmT Photo exclusive du bracelet électronique d'#IsabelleBalkany et qui lui permettra de se rendre quotidiennement sur le plateau de #TPMP chez #Hanouna 🙂 pic.twitter.com/QvhcBxvfuc Frauder toute sa vie dans l'espoir d'une retraite dorée au Maroc, et finir chez Hanouna. Life is a bitch. https://t.co/2YvHVNwYRo Isabelle Balkany elle a tout compris, elle commence à travailler qu'à partir de la retraite. #TPMP #BTP #Hanouna https://t.co/3f0urAceSb Balkany chez Hanouna.TPMP: du Taf Pour la Mafia et les Potes. pic.twitter.com/KpXpxFYbZP Sarah Leris chacun a fêté la musique à sa manière dansait en plein Levallois-Perret sous les yeux rieurs des passants l'homme condamné pour fraude fiscale et blanchiment d'argent, d'abord emprisonné puis libéré pour raisons de santé se déhanchait le sourire jusqu'aux oreilles dans les rues de Levallois La scène en elle-même étant aussi absurde qu'hilarante elle n'a pas manqué d'affoler la toile et les twittos de se lâcher complètement sur le sujet son épouse Isabelle Balkany avait déclaré : « Il est extrêmement fatigué confiné à l'époque dans une maison de campagne près de Giverny l'ancien maire de la ville s'est bien rétabli depuis -Avocat de #Balkany : Mon client est malade, il est à l'article de la mort !-Juge : Libérez le !- #Balkany sortant du tribunal : pic.twitter.com/cUmYCwSFk1 INFO : Patrick #Balkany entame une carrière de danseur étoile.#FeteDeLaMusique pic.twitter.com/N5eC2ZChmY Images exclusives #Balkany https://t.co/1N7fYro3Gi Quand tu as fait croire à ta mère que tu été malade pour pas aller en cours #Balkany pic.twitter.com/WbSYkKod2u Jésus avait ressuscité à Pâques, Patrick Balkany mourant en février ressuscite le 21 juin, y'a de quoi fonder une nouvelle religion.#Balkany pic.twitter.com/OFUFfiAAs7 il vous avait prévenu #Balkany pic.twitter.com/LllPFim5CP Le livre que Balkany a lu pour s'évader de prison #Balkany pic.twitter.com/rbmQFLiFt5 C’est vrai qu’il frétille, #Balkany.Il a vite retrouvé la santé en dehors de la Santé...Forcément, ça ne pouvait pas échapper à @IllumiReptilien.pic.twitter.com/8WFB68Qqp5 un ou plusieurs malfaiteur(s) se sont introduits dans la demeure des anciens élus de Levallois son épouse Isabelle en établissement de soins… Les cambrioleurs savaient sans doute qu’ils trouveraient la maison vide demeure du couple de Levallois-Perret à Giverny (Eure) a été visité par un ou plusieurs malfaiteur(s) qui auraient raflé une bonne quantité d’objets personnels du couple « Le préjudice est toujours en cours d’évaluation par la famille » C’est la femme de ménage qui a découvert l’effraction ce vendredi matin en prenant son service Le ou les cambrioleur(s) ont cassé une fenêtre pour pénétrer dans le manoir un ancien moulin de 1 000 m2 composé d’une dizaine de pièces C’est là que vivent les Balkany depuis des décennies, dans ce manoir acquis en 1986 alors que Patrick Balkany était tout jeune conseiller général du canton de Levallois le couple a fait donation de la propriété à ses enfants mais en en gardant l’usufruit s’étranglait Isabelle Balkany dans un des épisodes judiciaires de la série blanchiment de fraude fiscale Depuis plus d’un mois, il est donc de notoriété publique que les époux Balkany ne sont pas chez eux. Redoutant un cambriolage, leur entourage avait alerté la gendarmerie locale. Les rondes n’ont visiblement pas suffi. Le parquet d’Évreux a ouvert une enquête, confiée à la gendarmerie, pour que soient identifiés les auteurs de ce vol avec effraction. Ce vendredi, les traces et indices étaient en cours d’analyse. Demeurant ensemble à MARNES-LA-COQUETTE (92430) Mariés le 20 mai 2006 par devant l'officier de l'Etat civil de MARNES-LA-COQUETTE sous le régime de la communauté de biens réduite aux acquêts aux termes de leur contrat de mariage reçu par Maître DEBADIER Ont décidé de changer de régime matrimonial et d'adopter pour l'avenir le régime de la communauté universelle Les créanciers peuvent s'opposer à la modification dans les trois mois suivant la présente publication en l'étude de Maître MARLY où domicile a été élu à cet effet conformément à l'article 1397 alinéa 3 du Code civil SARL au capital de 10000 € Siège social : 16 PLACE DE L'IRIS 92400 COURBEVOIE RCS NANTERRE 921613766 Par décision de l'Assemblée Générale Extraordinaire du 29/04/2025 il a été décidé de transférer le siège social au 7 Cours Valmy 92800 PUTEAUX SAS au capital de 1000 € Siège social : 37 RUE JULES FERRY 92400 COURBEVOIE RCS NANTERRE 984036640 Par décision de l'associé Unique du 21/01/2025 il a été décidé de transférer le siège social au 20 rue Guersant 75017 PARIS Radiation au RCS de NANTERRE et immatriculation au RCS de PARIS SAS au capital de 1000 € Siège social : 32 AVENUE DE L’EUROPE 92270 BOIS-COLOMBES RCS NANTERRE 840052344 il a été décidé de nommer M SAS IOAN-SORIN demeurant 32 AVENUE DE L’EUROPE 92270 BOIS-COLOMBES en qualité de Président en remplacement de M SAS Ioan Vasile Adrian Siège social : 430 Avenue de la division Leclerc 92290 CHÂTENAY-MALABRY Capital : 29000 € Objet social : Activité d'enseignement de conduite Gérance : M Clément José TALLANDIE demeurant 12 avenue Mazarin 91380 CHILLY-MAZARIN ; M Freddy Daniel NAYAGOM demeurant 1 allée Jean Mermoz 92290 CHÂTENAY-MALABRY Durée : 99 ans à compter de son immatriculation au RCS de NANTERRE plusieurs questions entourent l’avenir de Patrick Balkany le tribunal correctionnel de Paris doit rendre une deuxième décision Tout porte à croire que la sentence sera plus lourde encore que les quatre ans ferme infligés pour fraude fiscale Le dossier qui a mené le maire de Levallois devant le tribunal est scindé en deux procédures qui se sont ainsi traduites par deux procès pour la fraude fiscale reprochée aux époux Balkany a mobilisé la première semaine de l'audience fleuve du printemps dernier et s'est conclu par ce jugement du 13 septembre Les avocats, Mes Dupond-Moretti et Antoine Vey pour le maire de Levallois se sont indignés de ce saucissonnage du dossier Crime story raconte chaque semaine les grandes affaires criminelles Mais le parquet puis le tribunal ont estimé que la procédure pour fraude fiscale ne pouvait être incluse dans l'ensemble du dossier à cause de conventions signées entre la France et l'étranger en matière de renseignements fiscaux Celles-ci stipulent notamment que les renseignements obtenus ne peuvent servir que dans des procédures liées strictement au recouvrement de l'impôt Cette subtilité du droit vaut à Patrick Balkany de se présenter détenu au tribunal pour ce second jugement selon le commentaire d'Éric Dupond-Moretti lorsque son client a été envoyé en prison il y a logiquement le blanchiment de fraude fiscale c'est-à-dire l'utilisation de l'argent non déclaré les revenus escamotés se retrouvent dans leur patrimoine évalué en tout à plus de 13 millions d'euros Patrick Balkany comparaîtra devant la chambre des appels correctionnels de la cour d'appel de Paris pour l'examen de sa demande de mise en liberté il ne saura pas le jour même si elle lui est accordée ou refusée Mais la réponse doit lui être donnée au maximum deux mois après la demande LIRE AUSSI > Isabelle Balkany raconte sa première visite à Patrick en prison Pour ce qui est de la très probable condamnation à venir ce vendredi Patrick Balkany fera certainement appel du jugement et sollicitera dans la foulée sa remise en liberté s'il est à nouveau placé sous mandat de dépôt cette deuxième demande de mise en liberté pourrait être aussi examinée lors de l'audience de la semaine prochaine Mais le temps des formalités et la nécessaire transmission du dossier à la cour d'appel rendent l'hypothèse fragile Patrick Balkany redevient présumé innocent les peines d'emprisonnement et d'inéligibilité ne s'appliquent donc pas Patrick Balkany peut même être candidat tout en restant en cellule Mais si la liberté lui est refusée avant un procès d'appel - en pareille circonstance le prévenu doit être rejugé dans les quatre mois - les calendriers judiciaire et électoral vont se télescoper le procès d'appel devrait être programmé après l'élection Ce qui lui laisserait alors le temps de se présenter pour la septième fois devant les électeurs de Levallois-Perret Isabelle Balkany a été jugée pour blanchiment de fraude fiscale mais pas pour corruption Le parquet a requis quatre ans de prison avec sursis 500 000 euros d'amende et dix ans d'inéligibilité Il faudrait donc à la fois que le tribunal dépasse ces réquisitions et qu'il estime maintenant son état de santé compatible avec la détention contrairement à la décision prononcée il y a cinq semaines Si elle est condamnée, elle fera appel et restera aux commandes de la mairie. Depuis l'incarcération de Patrick Balkany, celle qui était jusqu'alors sa première adjointe assure l'intérim à la tête de la ville. Elle pourrait même être tête de liste en mars prochain, option qui se dessine de plus en plus si son époux est toujours « empêché ». LIRE AUSSI > Isabelle Balkany raconte sa première visite à Patrick en prison A lawsuit has been brought against a mayor with Hungarian origins with charges of corruption and tax fraud, as Hvg.hu reports The public outrage towards the Hungarian Balkany was caused by the fact that he gave himself a 56pc salary raise as the mayor of Levallois-Peret but at the same time has also been a member of the French Parliament The mayor with Hungarian descent has a friendly relationship with Nicolas Sarkozy the best-known Hungarian-French who is famous for his corruption Sarkozy also started his career as a mayor of one of the most expensive small French town The two men share one more similar feature: their lean towards corruption It was partly due to Balkany’s behaviour that a new law was enacted in France which initiated the notion that it should not be allowed that a mayor is a member of the Parliament at the same time the changed legal background came in handy for the Hungarian married couple to try to stay “invisible” from the investigations that aim to discover their financial background and it turned out that the Balkanys have a whole financial empire consisting of numerous offshore companies in Switzerland the influential mayor used these offshore accounts for his savings which he got through corruption the Parisian Le Monde magazine brings in the case of the Balkanys’ property that they also acquired through means of corruption It remains unclear even to investigators where the Hungarian married couple got their money from they are not renting the expensive properties which makes it even more peculiar where they got all the money from the couple has properties in Marrakesh and the island of Saint-Martin among others This made up to an EUR 13 million undeclared income In the current anti-elitist background of French politics the French authorities’ idle activities to address this issue are causing a public outrage which is ever-more directed towards the French PM The question might arise: how did the public (unwillingly) contribute to these travels Featured image: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.balkany and website in this browser for the next time I comment Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span>{excerpt}<\/p><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} You have successfully joined our subscriber list SupportUs Newsletter © 2025 DailyNewsHungary | All rights reserved