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Omar Sharif Amanat is an American
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
, film producer, and investor in media, technology and hospitality companies.
He was convicted in December 2017 of conspiracy in a scheme involving
KIT Digital Piksel is a professional services and technology provider to the broadcast and media industry. Piksel has worked with clients in the Broadcast and Media industry for over 20 years, from launching Sky Go with BSkyB and 4oD with Channel 4 in 200 ...
. and sentenced to 5 years after "a striking fall from power".


Education

Amanat grew up in
Montville, New Jersey Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528, reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tu ...
and was educated at Montville High School. He later enrolled at
Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...
and transferred to the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
.


Career

He began at startup Datek Online and afterwards he moved to Texas and partnered with
Philip Berber Philip Berber is an Irish-born American technology entrepreneur, now engaged in philanthropy, international aid, social entrepreneurship and impact investing. He sold CyBerCorp, his online brokerage for day traders, to Charles Schwab for $488m ...
on a prototype online trading system called Cyber-Block, which was acquired by Charles Schwab for $488 million in 2000, before moving to New York to start Tradescape,Matthew Goldstei
Tradescape Becomes a Contender
''
SmartMoney ''SmartMoney'' was ''The Wall Street Journal''s magazine of personal business. The finance magazine launched in 1992 by Hearst Corporation and Dow Jones & Company. Its first editor was Norman Pearlstine. In 2010, Hearst sold its stake to Dow Jone ...
''. 13 March 2000. Accessed 9 February 2011.
of which he was the founder, chief executive and majority shareholder. In 2002,
E*Trade E-Trade Financial Corporation (stylized as E*TRADE) is a financial services subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, which offers an electronic trading platform to trade financial assets. The company receives revenue from interest income on margin balanc ...
acquired Tradescape for $276 million.


Entertainment industry

Amanat is the co-founder of Peak Group Holdings which is the largest shareholder of ''The Twilight Saga'' studio
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. History Independent era (1991–2012) Summit E ...
, in which he holds a 20% ownership stake via Peak Group Holdings. Brent Lang of ''
The Wrap ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' called him "the most powerful person in Hollywood you've never heard of".Brent Lang (14 March 2011).
Summit Investor's Libel Suit Reveals Omar Amanat's Control
''
The Wrap ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' Accessed 5 August 2011.
Summit was acquired by ''
Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...
'' studio
Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
for $412.5 million and Peak became one of its largest shareholders,Alex Ben Block (13 January 2012)

with a 48% stake. He was the executive producer of the 2007 drama The Visitor (2007 drama film), ''The Visitor'' and the 2008 comedy drama ''
Smart People ''Smart People'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama film starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elliot Page, and Thomas Haden Church. The film was directed by Noam Murro, written by Mark Poirier and produced by Michael London, with Omar Aman ...
'' not including approximately 75 other films he financed via
Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. History Independent era (1991–2012) Summit E ...
from 2007 to 2012.


Aman Resorts

In February 2014, Amanat co-founded with
Adrian Zecha Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
a new venture known as Aman Resorts Group Limited (ARGL) backed by a consortium of investors led by
Vladislav Doronin Vladislav Doronin (; born 7 November 1962) is an international real estate developer and art collector. He is the owner and chairman of Aman Resorts, chairman and CEO of OKO Group and is a co-founder of Moscow-based Capital Group. Early life an ...
. This new entity purchased luxury hotel and resort chain
Aman Resorts Aman Resorts is the trading entity of Aman Group Sarl, a Swiss-headquartered multinational hospitality company. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the company operates 34 properties in 20 countries. Vladislav Doronin is the ch ...
from DLF for $358 million. In July 2014, Amanat filed suit in the High Court of London against
Vladislav Doronin Vladislav Doronin (; born 7 November 1962) is an international real estate developer and art collector. He is the owner and chairman of Aman Resorts, chairman and CEO of OKO Group and is a co-founder of Moscow-based Capital Group. Early life an ...
, claiming Doronin committed breaches of a shareholders' agreement and forced the unlawful ouster of Adrian Zecha as CEO. Amanat claimed the decision to remove Zecha did not have board approval. The ruling, by the High Court, which was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, reinstated Zecha as CEO, which was viewed as a victory for Amanat. Two days later, Doronin filed a counterclaim in New York, but the judge ruled that the lawsuit must be decided in England. In July 2014, London's High Court permitted a board decision which replaced Zecha with Olivier Jolivet to stand. In March 2016 the High Court in London published an order which confirmed the settlement between Doronin and Amanat, ousting Amanat from the Aman Resorts ownership group.


Litigation

Amanat has been involved in a number of high-profile lawsuits during his career: * Shortly after the acquisition of Tradescape by E*Trade, litigation commenced between MarketXT and E*Trade alleging fraud on the part of the other. * Summit Entertainment withdrew and retracted its threat against Amanat that he had "misrepresented that he's involved in the ownership, management, decision-making, and operations". Relating to the same Amanat filed libel proceedings against British newspapers who called him an imposter in relation to his claims of involvement with Summit Entertainment, which led to them apologising, publishing a retraction and making payments to a charity of Amanat's choice. Summit Entertainments's CEO and Chairman issued letters to Amanat confirming his ownership and control of a board seat. * The disputes relating to the ownership and control of Aman Resorts have led to litigation in both New York and London. * Amanat was also involved in lawsuits in connection with
Bridges TV Bridges TV was a Muslim television network in the United States. It was originally headquartered in Buffalo, New York. Premiering nationally in November 15, 2004, it was the first American Muslim television network to broadcast in the English la ...
.


Bankruptcy

In 2004 a bankruptcy petition was lodged against Amanat. The circumstances of the filing were highly unusual. ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
'' reported the following transcript of Judge Alan Gropper: The bankruptcy petition was subsequently dismissed, as was a subsequent appeal against its dismissal by Amanat. ''Fortune'' also reported that " fore the case was over, the bankruptcy judge, Gropper, found that Amanat executed fraudulent conveyances, deceived creditors, and backdated documents."


Arrest and conviction

In July 2016 Amanat was arrested as part of the conspiracy case against former technology IPTV company
KIT Digital Piksel is a professional services and technology provider to the broadcast and media industry. Piksel has worked with clients in the Broadcast and Media industry for over 20 years, from launching Sky Go with BSkyB and 4oD with Channel 4 in 200 ...
. Prosecutors asserted that Amanat with
Kaleil Isaza Tuzman Kaleil Isaza Tuzman is a former entrepreneur associated with digital media, who spent more than 20 years in that industry before being convicted of multiple counts of fraud in 2017. Tuzman started his career at Goldman Sachs, was co-founder of Gov ...
, Stephen E. Maiden and an unnamed individual used an investment vehicle controlled by Tuzman to purchase KIT Digital shares. Maiden was sentenced in February 2015 to seven years in prison on a separate matter; Tuzman served time in prison in Colombia and was extradited to the U.S. to face charges. Former Chief Financial Officer Robin Smyth pleaded guilty to criminal charges in March 2016 and has been assisting prosecutors. Amanat previously sued Tuzman asserting breach of contract. The fraud trial commenced in October 2017. The prosecution accused Omanat of "lies upon lies" in their opening statements in relation to the fraud allegations. Defense lawyers accused the prosecution's star witness Stephen E Maiden of having high-ranking DOJ ties and of losing most of his funds money before investing in Kit. In December 2017, Amanat was found guilty of defrauding Kit investors along with his associate
Kaleil Isaza Tuzman Kaleil Isaza Tuzman is a former entrepreneur associated with digital media, who spent more than 20 years in that industry before being convicted of multiple counts of fraud in 2017. Tuzman started his career at Goldman Sachs, was co-founder of Gov ...
, the former KIT Digital CEO. Tuzman and Amanat had been accused of conspiring to inflate KIT's trading volume and share price between 2008 and 2011 in an effort to hide their devastating losses. The verdict came after 6 weeks of trial. Three government witnesses who pleaded guilty, including two former KIT executives and a disgraced hedge-fund founder, told jurors of related frauds being directed by Tuzman and Amanat in an effort to hide their disastrous investment losses. On 19 August 2021, Amanat was sentenced to five years in federal prison and fined $175,000. The 44 months already served pre-sentencing would be credited toward this sentence.


Philanthropy

Amanat has been a board member of
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
,
Malaria No More Malaria No More is a nonprofit organization that seeks to eradicate malaria. The organization has offices in the United States, as well as affiliates in India, Japan and the United Kingdom, and is known for its participation in the Idol Gives Ba ...
, The
Acumen Fund Acumen (formerly known as Acumen Fund, legally Acumen Fund, Inc.) is a nonprofit impact investment fund focused on investing in social enterprises that serve low-income individuals in United States. Acumen was founded in April 2001 by Jacqueline ...
and the
Ad Council The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...
and worked as a spokesman for
Bridges TV Bridges TV was a Muslim television network in the United States. It was originally headquartered in Buffalo, New York. Premiering nationally in November 15, 2004, it was the first American Muslim television network to broadcast in the English la ...
before its debut, where he advocated for Muslims to undo negative misperceptions of themselves in media.News aljazeerah.info: First American Muslim Television Channel Announced by Bridges Network
He co-founded a film fund affiliated with the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
called the
Alliance of Civilizations The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative that attempts to "galvanize international action against extremism" through the forging of international, intercultural dialogue, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, interre ...
Media FundOprah Winfrey Amanat commissioned
Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
to research the physiological effects on minorities who watch images of violence being perpetrated on fellow minorities.Ten Young Visionaries He has been an executive producer of films including '' The Visitor'', ''
Darfur Now ''Darfur Now'' is a 2007 documentary film examining the genocide in Darfur. It was written and directed by Ted Braun and produced by Don Cheadle, Mark Jonathan Harris and Cathy Schulman. Executive Producers included Jeffrey Skoll, Omar Amanat, D ...
'', ''
Smart People ''Smart People'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama film starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elliot Page, and Thomas Haden Church. The film was directed by Noam Murro, written by Mark Poirier and produced by Michael London, with Omar Aman ...
'', and ''
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh ''The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'' is a 1988 novel by American author Michael Chabon. It is a coming-of-age tale set during the early 1980s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was Chabon's first novel, which he began writing as a 21-year-old undergrad ...
''.


Personal life

Amanat is the older brother of comic book editor
Sana Amanat Sana Amanat is an American comic book editor and an executive of production and development at Marvel Studios, having formerly been the Director of Content and Character Development at Marvel Comics.
. He has three children with ex-wife
Helena Houdová Helena Houdová is a Czech supermodel and charity founder. After winning Miss Czech Republic in 1999, she went on to appear on the cover of fashion magazines including ''Elle'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Vogue''. She makes dona ...
, and six children in total. He is the first cousin of
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
's longtime aide
Huma Abedin Huma Mahmood Abedin ( ur, ; born July 28, 1975) is an American political staffer who was vice chair of Hillary Clinton's Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, 2016 campaign for President of the United States. Before that, Abedin was deputy ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amanet, Omar Living people 1972 births Place of birth missing (living people) Montville Township High School alumni People from Millburn, New Jersey People from Montville, New Jersey American investors American company founders American fraudsters Film producers from New Jersey