The Riis-family – Renowned aviators or gunrunners and tax-evaders

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The Riis-family – Renowned aviators or gunrunners and tax-evaders

Sun, 12/07/2009 - 19:51
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Today we will present to you a voice recording from early April 1985. In this tape you will hear a somewhat cryptic conversation between Benedicte Riis-Duryea and her alleged mother, Dagny Amelia Olsen (aka Amelia Olsen, aka Amelia Riis), demonstrating that they are conspiring to commit a crime in the U.S. and in Norway. The conversation is in Norwegian. By reading this transcript, while listening, you might get an idea of what this is all about. Here is an unauthorised English translation of the conversation.

In brief the late “Einar” Riis Johannessen had instructed Benedicte to pick up some 10 copies, not 15 copies, in New York. These copies were to be transported and delivered to somewhere else “down there”. Benedicte complains about how heavy and big those copies were, thus she suggested picking up these copies in two turns, which gives us an idea of how “big” the delivery of ten copies really was.

Listening to Benedicte you will hear a monotone and unhappy young woman. It becomes pretty clear that she has been acting in this line of work – most likely – for years. There is no excitement in her voice, neither is there any joy nor fear, besides her automatic question in the end of the conversation where she ask if there is any chance of getting into trouble this time. The monotone voice gives away parts of her personality: She most likely has been trained[1] for this during her whole life, thus destroying her as a person.

Dagny Amelia exposes herself a few times during the conversation, expressing that it was of the most importance to have this delivery executed, and that the weight of this delivery of 10 copies was of some 10 kilos (app. 20 pounds), in a bag.

A one hundred dollar bill/note weighs approximately 1. gr. Thus $100.000 in 100 dollar bills, is weighing 1 kg. 10 kg would then be the equivalence of $1 million. This is just an educational guess and doesn’t necessarily have to be correct. As we know that this family was into arms dealing and the trafficking of arms – there are also indications that they were involved in drugs trafficking in the Central Americas – this reference to 10 kilos could easily be the equivalence of $10 million. Most likely Benedicte was the errand boy for her “father” where she was to move funds whenever needed.

We also learn from this conversation that these two women have been talking to each other in codes for most of their lives: ten Copies; ten Kilos; picking up more than ten copies would complicate the whole thing; Instructions; the need for doing the pick-up of “ten copies” in two turns! because it is so heavy and big (ten copies, heavy, hm!); the alleged mother doesn’t know how the “situation” is where her daughter use to live (where does she live, and where does she use to live? Most likely at a new place for every new mission/operation in New York and elsewhere. And how likely is it that a mother doesn’t know the situation where her daughter lives? And what kind of situation is she referring to?); the “mother” has a plan B if the pick-up of 10 copies fails (how on earth could Benedicte fail in picking up 10 copies? and why do you need a plan B to pick up 10 sheets of printed paper? and why would 10 copies weigh 10 kg?). And finally; why would Benedicte ask her mother whether there is a chance of getting into trouble by picking up, “dragging around” and deliver 10 sheets of printed paper, reduced from 15 because it would be too heavy?

This doesn’t smell. No, far from it, it’s just a solid proof of a money delivery, of some dimension, that is to take place shortly after this conversation. A pick-up in New York and a delivery – most likely in Miami or on some Island in the Central Americas – that by no means could be executed through normal and legal banking channels. 

Basically these two women are discussing one of many money transactions in this family-business, where Benedicte is instructed and forced to pick up huge amounts of money, bringing these funds to somewhere else.

Remember that this family claims to have been flat broke since the late 1970’. You should then immediately ask; What is this, then? Flat broke family discussing huge cryptic money transactions taking place in New York? Rather unorthodox money transactions, really, as the normal way of moving money would be to instruct the bank to transfer the funds, and not instructing their 24 year old “daughter” to drag around a bag full of money in New York.

From our investigation we know that Dagny Amelia Olsen was sitting in Oslo talking to her “daughter” in New York. Parts of the transaction was thus to take place in New York. In the conversation Benedicte talks about “down there” when she refers to where the delivery was to take place. At that time, in 1985, Benedicte’s brother Patrizio Kenneth “Riis” had acquired his pilot license and where flying around somewhere in the Central Americas with an aircraft, Patrizio told his “father”, that was full of holes. That sounds like another hot lead to their core business.

As far as we can understand, the late “Einar” Riis Johannessen had placed his son in Miami in order to teach him piloting their shipments. Read more about the business here.

According to “Einar”, “Amelia” couldn’t even boil a pot of water. She was useless and not capable of fighting, I was told. I understand now that this picture he was painting about his family, was just a part of their manipulation, making a smoke screen for whoever attempting to dig into their story/history.

According to this voice recording “Amelia” was a tough hardcore business woman (agent?) in a criminal environment, coordinating criminal operations, protecting her “workers” and making plans if something would go wrong. Everything was controlled from her little flat in Oslo, and of course from their head office in Via San Filippo Martire nr.1/B, Rome.

Herman J Berge
Luxembourg


[1] ”Einar” told me several times about how he trained his ”son” from the early ages. When Patrizio was six he would leave Patrizio down town Rome and return to his office in Via San Filippo Martire nr.1/B. When the police called “Einar” later on and asked him if he had a son at the age of six, Einar would say: Yes, what is wrong? The police would then say; well, we found him strolling around down town, alone. Einar would answer: Is he hurt? The police would say: No. Einar would then end the discussion with this reply: Well, what is the problem then?