Dan Rapoport, a Latvian-American businessman, was discovered dead in Washington DC on August 14 following a suspected suicide jump from a skyscraper. Rapoport, who was living in exile in the United States, was a prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His corpse was discovered on the pavement in front of the 2400 M Apartments in the Georgetown neighborhood, where he apparently died in a freefall. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to reports of a “jumper” at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Rapoport was transported to the hospital after his fall, where he was confirmed dead.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s spokesman, Brianna Burch, told The Independent that no foul play is suspected at this time and that they are awaiting the medical examiner’s findings. A damaged smartphone, headphones, glasses, a driver’s license, and $2620 in cash were found at the site of the event.
BREAKING NOW: Anti-Putin Latvian-American businessman Dan Rapoport, who SOLD HIS HOUSE TO THE TRUMPS ‘dies in mysterious circumstances’ in Washington DC – wife furiously DENIES he killed himself…
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) August 17, 2022
Dan Rapoport’s Wife Alena Rapoport believes her husband did not commit suicide.
Yuniya Pugacheva, an ex-editor of Tatler Magazine’s Russian version, broke the news of Dan Rapoport’s death on Telegram. Pugacheva said that a suicide note was attached to his beloved dog, which was discovered in a local park after Rapoport’s fall. The former Tatler editor also claimed to have seen Rapoport at a London pub in May. Pugacheva also claimed Rapoport’s wife had abandoned him at the time.
Alena Rapoport, Dan Rapoport’s widow, rejected the aforementioned assertions, telling Russian business news channel RBC that she did not think her husband committed suicide:
“There were no notes, suicide, London trip, or departure.”
What did Dan Rapoport stand for?
Dan Rapoport, 52, was a businessman best known in Moscow as an investment banker and nightclub owner. In 2012, he was expelled from Russia. The late billionaire was the owner of Moscow’s Soho Rooms nightclub. Rapoport lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his wife, Alena, and their kid from 2016 until early 2022. During the Russia-Ukraine crisis, however, the investor moved his daughter and Ukrainian native wife to Denmark before returning to Washington, DC. Alena Rapoport, his widow, allegedly told RBC that after evacuating his wife and children, Rapoport returned to Ukraine to support the nation. She went on to say that they had planned to meet in the United States later.
Criticism of Vladimir Putin
Rapoport was supposedly forced to flee Moscow in 2012 due to his support for Putin’s most prominent opponent and opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. While several outlets first reported on this, it seems that the majority of such pieces have subsequently been erased. Rapoport has been vocal in his criticism of Russia’s Kremlin. According to the Moscow Post, he may have also been linked with Alfa Group, which was formerly affiliated with Navalny.
Rapoport founded his own Rapoport Capital fund after fleeing Russia, where he worked as Director of Fundraising Advisory. He was also a Startup Mentor with Newchip Accelerator at the same time. Dan Rapoport and his first wife returned to the United States and remained for four years. Rapoport opted to reside with his second wife, Alena, in Kyiv, Ukraine, after their divorce in 2016. The billionaire sold his home to Ivanka and Jared Trump in early 2017, which explains why he had to choose a luxurious apartment upon his return to the United States earlier this year.
