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letsdothis3 ago

NEW YORK - JUNE 09: HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex with artist Peter Max and his wife Mary at the Carte International's lunch reception for HRH Prince Edward Earl of Wessex at the Steven Weiss Studio on June 9, 2009 in New York City. https://imgur.com/a/DBPqf2x

At the same event - Carte Blanche International CEO Zakiya Khatou-Chevassus, Prince Edward, artist Peter Max and his wife Mary Max https://imgur.com/a/ruq2Zya

Wyclef Jean Paid His Mistress $105,000 Through His Haiti Charity

Yele Haiti, the sketchy foundation that Wyclef Jean founded to help the Haitian people—which received millions in the outpouring of generosity following the wake of the earthquake there—paid Jean's mistress and personal assistant $105,000 in 2008.

That's Zakiya Khatou-Chevassus on the right in the photo above. According to Yele Haiti's 2008 tax return, which was posted this week by the Smoking Gun, the charity paid Khatou-Chevassus $105,000 as an independent contractor in 2008 for "program development." That amounts to roughly one-third of all the money Yele spent that year on management and general expenses.

So what did she do for that money? Khatou-Chevassus is currently listed on Yele's web site as the organization's vice president. But according to five sources familiar with Yele's operations, in 2008 she served as Jean's personal assistant—working on his commercial endeavors as well as his charitable ones—and was involved romantically with the former Fugees star.

..Jean has a long history of using Yele Haiti's money for his own commercial gain. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, the foundation paid out a total of $410,000 to commercial entities controlled in whole or in part by Wyclef, including a whopping $250,000 for advertising time on a Haitian television station he co-owns. According to internal financial statements obtained by Gawker in January, Jean didn't contribute a single dollar to Yele Haiti's American operation during the year he founded it, and its founding executive director resigned because he "saw hundreds of thousands of dollars going to business needs and nothing going to the charity, when it seemed that part of Wyclef's new PR strategy focuses on his charitable endeavors." In 2006, he demanded a $100,000 fee to perform at a Yele Haiti fundraiser designed to raise money for his own hometown. The event was canceled in part because securing Jean's participation was too expensive.

..As the Smoking Gun noted, Khatou-Chevassus seems to have done some modeling in the past. The photo on the right above was taken at a 2009 reception she organized in New York for Prince Edward's International Award Association. (Captions from photographs taken at the event that we found online identify her as the CEO of Carte Blanche International, but we're almost certain that's an error. All of the people we spoke to who know Khatou-Chevassus say it's preposterous that she'd be a credit card executive; we've called Carte Blanche to ask.)

A call to Khatou-Chevassus and an e-mail to Yele Haiti's publicist were not immediately returned.

letsdothis3 ago

Carte Blanche International CEO Zakiya Khatou-Chevassus and event host David Hryck Esq. address the attendees during the Duke Of Edinburgh's Award Luncheon hosted by Carte Blanche International at the Steven Weiss Studio on June 9, 2009 in New York City. https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/carte-blanche-international-ceo-zakiya-khatou-chevassus-and-news-photo/88378618

http://langlangfoundation.org/david-m-hryck/

Mr. David M. Hryck, partner at Reed Smith LLP in New York,..Mr. Hryck advises clients on the tax and business aspects of structuring their investments for maximum profitability and has in-depth experience with cross-border investments and various licensing structures. He has represented and continues to represent, celebrities, entertainers, designers, global companies, individuals and international families. He has international proficiency with corporations as well as individuals across the globe, and he is recognized for his long track record of structuring transactions.

He serves on the board of directors of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and is a board member of the Happy Hearts Fund, founded by fashion model Petra Nemcova. He is a World Fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for Excellence Fund, founded by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and travels regularly to royal occasions around the world, advising on international interaction in Third World countries. David also served as a US member of the Duke’s Business Advisory Group, headed by HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. He is also a board member of the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization, founded by TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia.

He is on the board of The Nat King Cole Generation Hope, Inc. and also a Board Member of the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development, which was founded by Vuk Jeremic, President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 67th Session.