Dan Rapoport

Early life

He was born in Riga, Latvia when the country was the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR. In 1980, his family emigrated to the United State after receiving political asylum and settled in Houston, Texas.

He graduated from the University of Houston, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics and finance. He later earned an MBA from Middlesex University in London.

Career in Russia

After graduating from the University of Houston, Rapoport returned to Russia employed by Phibro Energy. He worked as a financial analyst for the first Russian American joint venture for oil production, White Nights Joint Enterprises, which was based in Raduzhny, Siberia. After leaving Phibro, Rapoport remained in Russia, working in corporate finance, brokerage and investment banking. He held senior positions with several Russian financial institutions and completed various cross border transactions representing Russian companies and various international institutional investors.

In 1995, Rapoport joined the CentreInvest Group and in 1999 was appointed as Managing Director of CentreInvest Securities, in New York. From 2003, he served as the Executive Director and head of the brokerage business in Moscow for CentreInvest Securities, a brokerage specializing in Russian mid cap equities. Rapoport served as a member of the board with the European Settlement Bank, and also was a member of the Trading Committee for the RTS stock exchange. In his role with CentreInvest Securities, Rapoport was frequently quoted in the press, offering commentary on Russian current events, the Russian financial markets, and the role of the Russian government in the country's economy.

SEC Lawsuit

In 2008, while based in Moscow, Rapoport was charged by the SEC with an alleged violation of Section 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC claimed that the alleged infraction occurred while he was Managing Director of CentreInvest Securities (Moscow) and indirectly oversaw the activities of CentreInvest Inc. in New York. Unable to serve Rapoport with due notice at his Moscow location, the SEC in 2009 entered a default order judgment. Once aware of the default judgment, Rapoport responded by filing a motion under Exchange Rule 155 (b) to vacate the default judgment. After several court decisions, in 2012, the DC District Court, Judge David Sentelle presiding, unanimously granted Rapoport's petition to vacate, quoting the SEC's failure to consistently apply its own rule.

Career in the United States

In June 2012, Rapoport returned to the US. It was reported that he left Russia in large part due to his support for Russia's democratic opposition, particularly his support for Alexei Navalny, an outspoken yet tacitly tolerated campaigner against Russian corporate and government corruption and the most vocal critic of Putin's regime. It was also reported that as a consequence of his support for opposition figures the Russian authorities concluded that Rapoport posed a threat to the Putin regime. However, he keeps some investment interests in Russia, making these reports about his conflict with Kremlin dubious.

Until 2016, Rapoport resided in Washington, DC, and managed Rapoport Capital LLP. In October 2016, he relocated to Kiev, Ukraine, after Rapoport Capital received a mandate from a US private equity group to invest more than $100 million in Ukraine.

Rapoport is currently a partner in the Moscow bar/restaurant/club, Soho Rooms, and Rush Pictures Production (formerly RAMCO, which co-produced Captivity (2007), and You and I (2011). He is also a Board Member of Share Care, (Благотворительный Фонд Поделись Теплом), a Moscow-based charity that provides assistance to orphans and sick children, and a 32nd Degree Freemason.

Political activity

During the 2012 US Presidential election, Rapoport advised the Mitt Romney for President Campaign on Russia-related issues. Rapoport's views were best voiced by Romney during the October 22, 2012, televised debate with Barack Obama: "I’m not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia or Mr. Putin."

In 2015 - 2016, he served as a foreign policy adviser to the Jeb Bush 2016 Presidential Campaign.

In January 2017, the New York Times reported that Rapoport sold his Washington, DC home, which will further serve as the residence of Ivanka Trump and family.