Psy-Group

Psy-Group is a former Israeli private intelligence agency which was owned by Joel Zamel and operated by CEO Royi Burstein from Petah Tikva , which closed after revelations that it was under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller .¹ The company had conducted both online perception management, social media influencing/manipulation campaigns, opposition research honey traps and clandestine on-the-ground activities for clients. Royi Burstien, a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army, headed an intelligence unit before starting Psy-Group and acting as Psy Group’s vice-president of business development. Psy-Group structure was multilayered with a bank account in Cyprus under a company called IOCO, which was owned or partly owned at one point by British Virgin Islands -based Protexer Limited and Cornell Enterprises SA, which in turn was managed by Zurich -based Salix Services AG. Ownership of IOCO would change annually. Protexer subsidiary MGTM Financial Services Limited is owned by Metropol Group in Moscow and run by Mikhail Slipenchuk. Psy-Group was operating under the name Invop Ltd., which was founded on December 22, 2014. Most of the Israeli-based employees came from the same school Joel Zamel attended: the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya . Among the employees was Eitan Charnoff, a former IDF commander of the Social Media Productions Desk who ran the iVote Israel 2016 get-out-the-vote campaign for Americans in Israel. The work of Psy-Group was international. They sought Trump as a client in 2016. Psy-Group and Black Cube made approaches to the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs , offering their services against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that was rejected. Instead, Kela Shlomo was successful. Scott Mortman managed Psy-Group's American clients, he was previously an advisor to Prime Minister's Office in Israel and currently works for Greenberg Traurig LLP (where Marc L. Mukasey and Rudy Giuliani have both worked with, where both are representing Donald Trump and Mukasey is representing Zamel). On October 22, 2018, Senator Richard Blumenthal sent letters to Facebook , Google , Reddit and Twitter asking each company about Psy-Group and other firms affiliated with its founder, Joel Zamel, such as Wikistrat and White Knight , if they had purchased advertisements or used fake accounts on their platforms. There is a legal challenge to keep data left on computers that were used by Psy-group instead of being erased relating to the West Face Capital. In June it was reported that the Israeli Central District Magistrate's Court blocked the computers’ backup process in a closed hearing. Judge Irit Weinberg-Nutovitz announced that the data would be downloaded and given to the government's Administrator General and Official Receiver. Psy-Group liquidator, Hayut Greenberg, and Calanit Hermelin-Vager, who represents the Official Receiver, oppose the forensic backup. The Senate Intelligence Committee was reported to have investigated Psy-Group by reaching out to Royi Burstien and Joel Zamel. staff, JI|Adam (2018-05-23). "A top Trump aide asked an Israeli company for help to take Ted Cruz out of the 2016 election" . "A top Trump aide asked an Israeli company for help to take Ted Cruz out of the 2016 election" .²