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Tamir Sapir (born Temur Sepiashvili, თემურ სეფიაშვილი; 1946/1947 – September 24, 2014) was a Georgian-born, Georgian-American businessman, real estate developer and investor. He was the founder of the Sapir Organization, a real estate investment firm based in New York City. Sapir originally made his fortune trading oil and fertilizers with the Soviet Union during the 1980s. He became a billionaire in 2002, with his wealth peaking in 2007 at US$2 billion, according to Forbes.
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Sapir made contacts with the Soviet contingent to the United Nations in New York, and started trading electronics, clothing, and footwear for exclusive rights to sell Soviet oil and oil products which he then sold to American companies. Investing the profits in Manhattan real estate in the 1990s, which was then in a slump, he became a billionaire by 2002. #410 Tamir Sapir. The World's Richest People, Forbes magazine. Sapir has been referred to as America's "billionaire cabbie".
Sapir brought a lawsuit in Russia against a Moscow oil refinery after it violated the terms of a contract by failing to transfer oil products for delivered equipment. Sapir won the case in 2005, but received none of the $28 million the Moscow company was ordered to pay. Russia´s Highest Commercial Court Rejects Appeal by Moscow Oil Refinery in Favor of Tamir Sapir´s Joy-Lud, findlaw.com; accessed October 3, 2014.
Sapir was a financier and development partner for the construction of the Trump SoHo in Manhattan in 2006.
Sapir's daughter, Zina, and Rotem Rosen, the CEO of Africa Israel USA and close to Lev Leviev of Africa Israel Investments, were married on December 20, 2007, at Mar-a-Lago with the Pussycat Dolls and Lionel Richie performing. Donald Trump and Jared Kushner, friends of the couple, were invited to the June 1, 2008 bris of their infant son. Rotem Rosen was pivotal to Lev Leviev's April 2007 purchase of the Times Building on West 43rd Street for $525 million.
Sapir's three-mansion estate, The Fountains, was an expanded version of a 1928 mansion. It is located at 26 Pond Road, Great Neck, New York. It is currently for sale at an asking price of $55 million.
Sapir Organization
In 2006, Sapir named his son Alex Sapir the chairman and president of the Sapir Organization.
Personal life
Sapir was married twice. His first marriage to Bella Sapir ended in divorce. New York Observer: "Recent Divorcees with Hefty Settlements To Save New York Real Estate" by Irina Aleksander November 7, 2008 He had five children: Ruth Sapir Barinstein (born 1973), Zina (born 1974), Alex (born 1980), Zita, and Eli. Park East Synagogue: Memorial Service Tamir Sapir October 26, 2014 His second wife was Elena Ponomareva. He also had 6 grandchildren: Ariana Barinstein, Gabriel Barinstein, David Rosen, Raquel Rosen, Sebastian and Timur Sapir. He was a member of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan. He built the Congregation of Georgian Jews synagogue in Rego Park, Queens. COLLive: "Tamir Sapir, 67, OBM" Sep 29, 2014 He died on September 26, 2014, aged 67.
External links
Categories: 1940s Births, 2014 Deaths, American Billionaires, American Businesspeople In Retailing, American Businesspeople In The Oil Industry, American People Of Georgian-jewish Descent, American Businesspeople In The Real Estate Industry, Businesspeople From New York, Soviet Emigrants To Israel, Israeli Emigrants To The United States, Jews From Georgia, People From Kings Point, New York, Billionaires From Georgia, 20th-century American Businesspeople, 20th-century Jews From Georgia, 21st-century Jews From Georgia
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