The payments by Columbus Nova occurred between January and August of last year. Andrew Intrater, the company's American chief executive and Vekselberg's cousin, donated $250,000 to Trump's inauguration, campaign finance records show. He and Vekselberg attended the event together and met with Cohen there, according to a person briefed on the matter. Columbus Nova retained Cohen as a consultant soon afterward.
A shell company that Michael Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from Dallas-based AT&T and a company linked to a Russian oligarch, among others with business before the Trump administration, according to documents and interviews.