“I can introduce you to a lot of people in Russia,” he goes on, with a pitch that echoes Mifsud. “I could be a middleman for you.” He shares more details about what he’s done. I say, “Okay, great to meet you. Let’s keep in touch.” Within a week of meeting, he emails me with an invitation to an energy conference in Moscow: “It will be my pleasure and honor to arrange energy meetings, extensive briefings from top energy experts in Russia and Europe (including top executives and government decision makers), scheduling your speaking arrangements, and anything else that is within my scope of
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