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NY Offices of Newsweek Magazine Raided by Manhattan DA

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On Thursday, January 18, the office of the Manhattan District Attorney sent around two dozen investigators to Newsweek’s downtown newsroom to take photos of computers and servers, according to sources of The Post.

The Post reports, “In addition to the newsroom, the fifth floor of 7 Hanover Square also houses Newsweek Media Group, the publication’s parent company — formerly known as IBT Media. The investigators, who arrived shortly before 8 a.m., focused on the computers’ serial numbers — and walked out six hours later carrying several of the servers, sources said. The probe is believed to be connected to Olivet University, the San Francisco school tied to the controversial South Korean evangelical pastor David Jang, one source said. Jang has close ties to the founders of IBT Media.”

About halfway through the raid, one of the company’s lawyers told perplexed staffers that the current police activity was part of an investigation that had been ongoing for the last 17 months.

A person close to the company told The Post, “People are very upset, because apparently there was a 17-month investigation and no one told us anything.”

Late on Thursday, the Newsweek Media Group did acknowledged that for a large portion of the day their servers were being examined by agents from the DA’s office.

Newsweek’s statement said, “Representatives of the New York County [Manhattan] District Attorney’s Office visited the New York City offices of Newsweek Media Group today to conduct a search of the company’s computer servers to obtain technical information about the servers. The company provided the DA’s representatives with access to the computer servers on location to allow for a technical inspection within the law. No information regarding the company’s content, stories, personnel, or sources was given and Newsweek Media Group has been assured by the DA’s office that the investigation is not about any content-related issues.”

While the company claims to be cooperating with the investigation, on December 12, the IRS gave Newsweek Media Group co-owner Etienne Uzac a $1.2 million federal tax lien, according to a record that The Post gained possession of.

The Post reports, “Uzac founded the company in 2005 with Jonathan Davis, and together they purchased the money-losing Newsweek in 2013. Uzac is married to Marion Kim, who is tied to Olivet and has served as a translator for Jang. The IRS declined to comment on whether the raid Thursday had any connection to the outstanding federal tax lien, which included $448,313 from June 2016, $455,167 from September 2016 and $343,778 from Dec. 31, 2016. Jang had used Korean and Chinese citizens with student visas who attended Olivet University to secretly work on IBT matters in its early days, according to reports. The company denied the claim at the time. Early reports — based on eyewitness sources — that NYC cops were involved in the raid were not accurate, NYPD sources told The Post.”

Only police officers connected to the office of the New York County District Attorney participated in the raid.

By: Charles Azakian

 

 

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