One of the reasons the world’s wealthy love investing in New York City real estate is because of the anonymity. Thanks to secretive limited liability companies (LLCs) and trusts, it’s complicated to know exactly who lives where. The New York Times ran an in-depth investigation into the influx of foreign wealth into NYC’s real estate market. They focused on Columbus Circle’s Time Warner Center, a tall luxury building with 192 condos, nearly 66% of which are owned by secretive entities. Sifting through over 200 apartment records, The Times reporters identified some of the most notorious people to ever purchase condos in Time Warner Center. Learn more about them. Andrey Vavilov bought a $37.5 million condo in Time Warner Center in 2009. The former Russian senator and businessman has been tied to a series of crooked deals, including government kickbacks, and accused of masterminding a “media blitz…involving a longtime adversary” and starting programs that accrued him (and his friends) a massive amount of wealth during the foundering first years of the Russian Federation, according to the Times. Jho Low bought a penthouse formerly owned by Beyoncé and Jay Z for $30.55 million (in cash) at the Time Warner Center. He is well-known in the Hollywood and New York nightlife scenes and is close to the nephew of Malaysia’s prime minister — a politician who has long dodged claims of corruption. Where Low gets his funds is a mystery, but Gawker once called him a "big-spending party boy." Kabul Chawla is the likely owner a $19.4 million, 4,050-square-foot condo with five bedrooms in the Time Warner Center, according to The Times. A New Delhi developer, Chawla is accused of pre-selling homes to residents and failing to finish them. Of the homes his company does finish, many are allegedly shoddily done. José Murat Casab owns two condos that he bought for $5.44 million in the Time Warner Center through the shell company Nivea Management, according to The Times. He is the former governor of Oaxaca and a well-connected, controversial Mexican politician who is rumored to have staged an assassination attempt on his own life to gain public favor. Vitaly Malkin reportedly owns a $15.65 million condo in the Time Warner Center through an LLC. He’s a Russian-Israeli businessman and politician who was denied entry into Canada by the Canadian government due to money laundering and international arms deals allegations (accusations his lawyer vehemently denies). Dimitrios Contominas owned a condo on the 74th floor of the Time Warner Center until he sold it for $21.4 million 2014. He’s the owner of one of Greece’s biggest TV stations and is a well-known businessman who was arrested on fraud and corruption charges last year. Wang Wenliang’s shell company Columbus Skyline LLC owns three condos in Time Warner Center. The Chinese businessman and contractor owns a construction company that was accused of “housing workers in New Jersey in hazardous, unsanitary conditions,” according to The Times reporters. Alexander Varshavsky paid cash for a condo in the Time Warner Center. Varshavsky is now a US citizen and owns car dealerships in Russia. He was “charged with failing to report the existence of a foreign bank account,” according to The Times, and was surveilled for a time by federal agents. Anil Agarwal owns not one but two condos in Time Warner Center through the shell company Amanita Corporation. He’s an Indian business magnate who has been fined for dumping chemical waste, poisoning nearby communities as well the environment in both India as well as Zambia. Former Ambassador to the US Prince Bandar bin Sultan and his wife (and daughter of a former Saudi king) Princess Haifa bint Faisal were also tied to a Time Warner Center unit. Princess Haifa was accused in certain press outlets of funding the 9/11 hijackers, though no evidence was found by the United States Commission that linked back to her. James Nicholson owned an $8.5 million Time Warner condo until it was frozen by law enforcement. He was charged with stealing more than $100 million from investors in one of the worst Ponzi Schemes in American history. He is currently in jail. Pablo Ardila bought a $4 million condo in Time Warner Center back in 2004. According to The Times, the former Colombian official sold it after being arrested for “enriching himself illicitly.” He was released in Colombia without being convicted. Stewart Ford bought a $6 million condo in the building before eventually transferring it to a shell company, according to the Times report. His firm was under investigation for fraud at the time and was “at the center of one of the biggest finial collapses in Britain with an estimated 30,000 victims,” the reporters wrote. Read the full, 8,000-word New York Times investigation here. Click her for a round up of the New York Times profiles on shady foreign investors.DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Life on Facebook! Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do
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