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On Sunday, August 14, Latvian-American millionaire Dan Rapoport was found dead in Washington DC after a suspected leap from a building.
Rapoport was an investment banker and nightclub founder from Moscow. A vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he was exiled from Russia in 2012, and was living in the US.
His body was found on the sidewalk in Georgetown district’s 2400 M Apartments front, where he presumably had a freefall to his death. The Metropolitan Police Department’s officers responded to calls of a "jumper" at around 6 pm on Sunday. After his fall, Rapoport was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Metropolitan PD’s spokesperson Brianna Burch told The Independent that foul play is not suspected at the moment and that they are waiting on the medical examiner’s report.
Things recovered from the scene of the incident include a cracked smartphone, headphones, glasses, a driver’s license and $2620 in cash.
Dan Rapoport’s widow Alena claims her husband did not commit suicide
The initial report of Dan Rapoport's death was announced on Telegram by Yuniya Pugacheva, an ex-editor of the Russian edition of Tatler Magazine. Pugacheva alleged that a suicide note was affixed to his pet dog, who was found at a nearby park following Rapoport’s fall.
The former Tatler editor further claimed that she reportedly saw Rapoport at a London bar in May. Pugacheva also alleged that Rapoport’s wife had left him at the time.
However, Dan Rapoport’s widow Alena refuted the aforementioned claims and told Russian business news channel RBC that she did not believe her husband had died by suicide:
“There were no notes, no suicide, no trip to London, no departure.”
What was Dan Rapoport known for?
Dan Rapoport owned a Soho Rooms nightclub in Moscow. From 2016 to early 2022, Rapoport resided in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his wife, Alena, and his daughter. However, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the investor sent his daughter and Ukrainian native wife to Denmark and returned to Washington DC himself.
His widow, Alena, reportedly told RBC that after evacuating his wife and daughter, Rapoport went back to Ukraine help the country. She added that they had planned to meet in the US later on.
Criticism against Vladimir Putin
In 2012, Rapoport had to allegedly leave Moscow over his support for Putin’s most renowned critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny. While this was initially reported by many publications, most such reports seem to have been deleted since.
Rapoport had been outspoken about his criticisms of the Russian government. Reports from the Moscow Post suggest that he may have also been involved with Alfa Group, which was once associated with Navalny.
After his exile from Russia, Rapoport ran his own Rapoport Capital fund, where he served as the Director of Fundraising Advisory. Simultaneously, he was involved as a Startup Mentor with Newchip Accelerator.
Following Dan Rapoport's return to the USA with his first wife, they stayed in the country for four years. After their divorce, Rapoport decided to settle with his second wife, Alena, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2016.
In early 2017, the businessman sold his residence to Ivanka and Jared Trump, which explains why he had to opt for a luxury apartment after returning to the US earlier this year.
