La Romana, Dominican Republic Genealogy • FamilySearch

Below is a rundown of the letter ‘S’ under Epstein's contacts. Last year, I wrote about letters A-C. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/cpis3n/a_brief_rundown_of_the_first_ten_pages_of_jeffrey/).
I also wrote about letters D-F on July 5, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hlrba8/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_df_in_jeffrey/).
I posted letters G-I on July 13, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hqko0y/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_gi_in_jeffrey/).
I posted letters J-L on July 15, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hrq9bg/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_jl_of_jeffrey/).
I posted letter M on July 20, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/huw0yt/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_the_letter_m_in_jeffrey/).
I posted letters N-Q on July 27, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hyudbz/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_the_letters_nq_in_jeffrey/). There are some misspelled names. Epstein entered their names like this.
I posted letter R on July 29, 2020. You can check that out here (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/i0aqxd/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_the_letter_r_in_jeffrey/)
I have bolded some of the more interesting connections and information, but there could be much more that I overlooked. I hope something here strikes an interest in someone and maybe we can get more investigations out of this. Please, if you know anything more about any of these people than what is presented here, post below. I am working off of the unredacted black book found here: https://www.coreysdigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Jeffrey-Epsteins-Little-Black-Book-unredacted.pdf
S
Sacco, Amy: Nightclub mastermind behind Bungalow 8 and many other clubs. Listing her list of connections would take too long because her clubs are always hot spots for celebrities and the elite. The NY Times wrote a decent article (https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/fashion/the-empress-is-in-amy-sacco-holds-court-at-another-new-york-nightspot.html) about Sacco’s clubs and clientele. Sacco has been photographed with Ghislaine, India Hicks, and Sophie Dahl, all of whom appear in Epstein’s black book (https://www.patrickmcmullan.com/photo/1563479).
Sachs, Jeffrey: Naming all of his titles would be an endeavor in itself. Sachs is a very influential figure who is best known for being an economist, an adviser to the United Nations, and a University Professor at Columbia University. Sachs serves on the Council on Foreign Relations, where Epstein served from 1995-2009. It is unclear whether he was there at the same time as Epstein, although given his popularity and influence, especially in the early 2000s, I would be surprised if he wasn’t around then.
Saffra, Edmund: Billionaire banker and alleged money launderer with tons of enemies who died under very mysterious circumstances in 1999. The official story was that one of his nurses - in an attempt to gain favor with Safra by saving him from danger - intentionally started a small fire in Safra’s home, which soon spiraled out of control, causing Safra to lock himself in the bathroom and suffocate to death. This article (https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/12/dunne200012) does a good job of pointing out that Safra had many enemies, was a shady character, and was absolutely obsessed with security for himself and his family. It seems odd that Safra would allow his security detail (Mossad vets) to leave his home that night. This article (https://www.theguardian.com/theobserve2000/oct/29/features.magazine47) from The Guardian includes a statement from Ted Maher’s (the nurse who was convicted of starting the fire) wife, stating that he was coerced into signing a confession. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night who is also listed in Epstein’s contacts, was a good friend of Safra’s.
Safro, Wayne: Financial advisor.
Said, Wafic: Financier and businessman. Said is the Chairman of a children’s charity called the Said Foundation, where Prince Charles’s former private secretary, Sir Michael Peat GVCO, serves on the board of trustees (https://www.saidfoundation.org/pages/33-trustees-and-staff). The charity helps underprivileged children from the Middle East. Said has also contributed a lot of money to Prince Charles’s The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, which, among other things, is dedicated to helping children.
Sainsbury, Mr Jamie: Descendant of the founder of the Sainsbury grocery chain. Old friend of Ghislaine Maxwell (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8466853/What-girls-frolicked-Bullingdon-boys-Oxfords-brightest-young-women-rose-top.html). James’s sister, Camilla, was married to British MP, Shaun Woodward, for 28 years. Camilla and Shaun are Trustees of The Woodward Charitable Trust, which helps disadvantaged children, women, and families (http://woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk/portfolio/about_us/).
Salama, Eric: Former CEO of Kantar consulting firm. Also served as a Trustee for the British Museum (2000-2008). Survived a carjacking after getting stabbed last year (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6618395/Government-adviser-stabbed-carjacking-reveals-fine-punctured-lung.html).
Saltzman, Elizabeth: Contributing editor to Vanity Fair and Vogue, two of the three publications (along with Tatler) that continuously show up among Epstein’s contacts. Saltzman is also a celebrity fashion stylist with clients such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Saoirse Ronan, Stella McCartney, and Uma Thurman, the ex-wife of Arpad Busson, who is possibly one of the key players in this pedophile ring (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/cl34ju/arpad_busson_billionaire_businessman_or_possible/). Andre Balazs, the hotelier who also seems to be embroiled in this whole fiasco held a party in 1995. Those in attendance included Ghislaine Maxwell, Katie Ford, and Elizabeth Saltzman (https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/taming-liz-fortensky-rumors-article-1.686445), all of whom appear in Epstein’s black book. In fact, Saltzman is a long-time friend of Ghislaine (https://www.mintpressnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Mysterious-business-of-the-queen-of-NY-Lon-1.pdf). This article also reveals that Ghislaine was introduced to Prince Andrew by the Duchess of York (Sarah Ferguson), and, even more telling, that Epstein was suspected of having Mossad ties when the article was written in 2000. In addition to all this, Saltzman is the ex-wife of hedge fund billionaire Glenn Dubin (https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/14/style/miss-saltzman-editor-is-wed-to-glenn-dubin.html), one of the most heavily implicated people in Epstein’s pedophilia and child trafficking ring. I implore you to read more about Dubin (and his wife) in my D-F black book thread (https://www.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/hlrba8/a_notsobrief_rundown_of_letters_df_in_jeffrey/). Saltzman can also be seen here, sitting next to Prince Andrew in 2010 (https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/world/4780114-Britains-Prince-Andrew-is-stepping-back-from-public-duties-after-Epstein-controversy). The lists of celebrities and well-known figures that Saltzman has been photographed with is unending.
Samuels, Mia: Actually Maia Samuel, former Producer of ABC Primetime (1989-1994). Went on to work for NBC, Bloomberg, and CNBC in various producer roles over the years. Now works as Director, Content Studios for Reuters (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maia-samuel-92172a10). Epstein has quite a few television ties, most notably to ABC news programs.
Sandelman, Jon & Corrie: Jonathan is a hedge fund manager and former Managing Director of Bank of America Securities. Corrie is his wife.
Sangster, Guy & Fi: Son of racing tycoon Robert Sangster, Guy is Managing Director at Sangster Group, which is involved in the Horse Racing industry. He also works as an investment adviser with Hambro Perks, a venture capitalist company. Prince Andrew is a close friend of Guy and his wife, Fiona. Prince Andrew even attended Sangster’s 40th birthday party (https://www.the-sun.com/news/136709/prince-andrews-pals-claims-witness-who-saw-him-with-sex-slave-is-confused-as-he-was-in-club-3-days-late).
Sangster, Mr Ben: Guy Sangster’s brother and fellow racing heir. Long-time acquaintance/friend(?) of the Royal Family. According to this article, the Sangsters are “one of the most high profile society families in London and often hang out with the royals (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5008073/Robert-Sangster-s-son-marries-Princess-Eugenie-s-friend.html).
Santo Domingo, Julio Mario: Unsure if this is the father or the son. Either way, this is a billionaire Colombian businessman whose company has controlling stock in Bavaria Brewery and is the 2nd highest stockholder of Anheuser Busch (15%). The senior Julio Mario Santo Domingo died in 2011. His son died from cancer in 2009.
Santo, Mr & Mrs M Espirito: Likely the former owners (or high-ranking family) of the Espirito Santo banking dynasty., which was forced to shutter due to charges of fraud, money laundering, and falsifying documents (https://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/30/how-a-portuguese-banking-mess-took-down-a-dynasty.html). Banco Espirito Santo was Portugal’s second-largest bank.
Saud Prince Solman: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a close friend of Epstein’s and met with him many times. Epstein even had a photograph of bin Salman hanging on his wall. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has been linked to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and subsequently killed. The Crown Prince, said to have ordered the murder, and those who were physically involved with the murder, ultimately went unpunished. According to this article (https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jeffrey-epstein-what-we-know-about-paedophile-businessmans-ties-middle-east), the numbers listed likely belong to the Crown Prince’s father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. Epstein’s Austrian passport had a fake name and Saudi address. This passport was to have been given to him by “a friend.” In November 2016, one day before the election, Epstein flew to Riyadh. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos were in Riyadh at the same time, leading some to believe that the three may have met up (https://www.insider.com/epstein-riyadh-saudi-arabia-private-jet-2019-9).
Scerbo, Randall: A female (despite the name) fashion stylist and costume designer who eventually went into consulting. Randall also has credits as a producer and content creator for the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants.
Schiatti, Gianmarco: Creative director who helped several fashion companies (Gucci, Chanel, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Prada, etc.) with rebranding.
Schifter, Helen & Tim: Helen is a former arbitrage trader on Wall Street, as well as a socialite and a former editor at Hearst and Conde Nast (publisher of Tatler and Vogue), making this the 9000th Epstein-Conde Nast connection. Helen’s father is a businessman and has served as a consultant for the Du Pont Company. She runs in the same circles as Ghislaine Maxwell and has been at several of the same parties (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/helen-lee-schifter-ghislaine-maxwell-teddy-wong-and-news-photo/1169681659). Tim is CEO of LeSportsac, the luggage and tote bag manufacturer. Tim can be seen attending a Private Screening with Ghislaine Maxwell here (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tim-schifter-and-ghislaine-maxwell-attend-private-screening-news-photo/590659962).
Sebag Montefiore Simon & Santa: Simon Montefiore is a British historian, television presenter, and author of history books and novels. Ghislaine attended the launch of Montefiore’s book, “The Court of the Red Tsar” (https://deepclips.com/clip/3225/exclusive-i-fear-i-saw-virginia-roberts-inside-jeffrey-epstein-s-creepy-new-mexico-ranch-contractor-claims). Santa is his wife and sister of Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, who died of an ulcer in 2017. The Palmer-Tomkinson family is so close with the Royal Family that Prince Charles was named Tara’s godfather. As such, Simon and Santa are good friends of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4721868/The-lit-girl.html). Simon’s great-great-uncle was an international financier who worked for the Rothschilds in the 1800s. Siimon and his family are still close to the Rothschilds to this day (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/01/montefiore200801).
Seitern, Christine: Architect.
Sejournet, Isabel de: Belgian arts consultant and wife of French Count Eric d’Hauteville. Isabelle was photographed at an annual charity dinner hosted by The AEM Association Children of the World for Rwanda (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/isabelle-de-sejournet-and-caroline-sarkozy-attend-the-news-photo/157832558).
Shabtai, Benny: Israeli businessman who specializes in watches and telecommunications. Served as Chair for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) and has helped raise millions for the charity (https://electronicintifada.net/content/manhattans-friends-israel-defense-forces/5526). Epstein toured Israeli military bases with Shabtai in 2008 after being convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution (https://pagesix.com/2008/04/24/just-visiting/). Shabtai also served three years in the Israeli army and is a former bodyguard for the Israeli ambassador in Paris, France.
Shad, Brenda: Lingerie model who has known Epstein since the ‘90s (https://www.reddit.com/EpsteinAndFriends/comments/hbiwye/epstein_with_lingerie_model_brenda_schad_in_1997/). Almost married Robert Hanson (listed in my Epstein G-H thread) in 1996, the billionaire financier who was accused of raping Anouska de Georgiou when she was a teenager. She first met him when he was dating Naomi Campbell. Pictured with Maxwell here in 2005 (https://www.the-sun.com/news/103520/is-jeffrey-epsteins-unholy-alliance-with-the-victorias-secret-boss-the-real-reason-the-show-was-scrapped/).
Shearer Andre & Angie: Andre is a South African wine importer through his business, Cape Classics. Angie is his wife.
Shore Chris and Maura: Chris is a bankruptcy litigator. Mara is his wife, a licensed lawyer.
Shriver, Bobby: Nephew of JFK, RFK, and Ted Kennedy. His mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics. Bobby now serves on the Board of Directors for the Special Olympics (https://www.specialolympics.org/about/board-of-directors/bobby-shriver). Epstein has several phone numbers listed for Shriver’s Special Olympics office in California.
Shriver, Maria: Bobby Shriver’s sister and niece of JFK, RFK, and Ted Kennedy. TV journalist and former ex-wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Shuster, Susie: Suzy is a sportscaster who is married to long-time ESPN and NFL Network anchor, Rich Eisen.
Siegal, Peggy: Famous NYC publicist and close friend of Epstein who helped him out by continuously getting him into elite parties even after he was convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution in 2008 (https://nymag.com/intelligence2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-high-society-contacts.html). Her career in Hollywood has been obliterated, although many still secretly think she has been a scapegoat (https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-powea29643007/peggy-siegal-jeffrey-epstein-connection/), which once again proves the depravity of Hollywood.
Siegel, William (Bill): President of Chris-Craft Industries (1996-2001), a broadcasting company that owned several television channels across the U.S. Chris-Craft was eventually purchased by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation for $5.3 billion.
Sieghart, William: British entrepreneur and publisher. In 1986, he co-founded Forward Publishing with partner Neil Mendoza, who serves on the board of several children’s charities and is the current Provost of Oriel College. Mendoza appeared earlier in Epstein’s black book. Check out the letter ‘M’ thread for more information.
Silver, Ron: Silver (1946-2009), was a famous actor who also served on the Council on Foreign Relations. Co-founder of pro-Israeli organization, One Jerusalem, which organized a rally in 2001 to protest Palestinian sovereignty. Flipped political affiliations to vote for George W. Bush post-9/11. As a result, Bush appointed him to several posts, including one in which he worked under Scooter Libby, adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Silverman, Nancy & Henry: Henry is an entrepreneur and private equity investor. Henry helped build Cendant Corporation, which specializes in car rentals, travel reservations, and real estate brokerage services. Nancy and Henry divorced in 2012 after 30 years of marriage. They literally lived around the block from Jeffrey Epstein.
Simon, Bren: Bren was the President of MBS Associates, a property management company. She and her husband (now deceased), support many children’s charities. Bren directs the Mel and Bren Simon Charitable Trust, which works closely with the Clinton Foundation (Haiti), the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Clinton School of Public Service (https://brensimon.com/our-work/). Bren is co-founder of The Family Support Center, a 24-hour child abuse care center. She also serves on the board of advisers for the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund. In 1998, Bren began working with the Mission International Rescue Foundation (MIR), which serves the children and young women of La Romana, Dominican Republic. Bren also created the Centro de Promocion Rural Max Simon, an orphanage that provides a safe environment for boys who have been abandoned, abused, or are living in extreme poverty. She also created the Bren Simon MIR Foundation Girls’ Vocational School (https://cancer.iu.edu/giving/simon/bren-bio.php). Bren Simon used to be a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Bill Clinton read a eulogy at her husband’s funeral (https://www.ibj.com/articles/67913-simon-sisters-among-top-political-donors-nationwide).
Simpson (Caruth), Sophie: Former literary agent at William Morris Agency. Serves as a Trustee for Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.
Sindi, Rena & Sami: Rena is a socialite and daughter of Nemar A. Kirdar, who founded Investcorp bank in the ‘80s with Arab oil money (https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/27/style/put-on-your-toga-bring-castanets-rena-sindi-is-giving-a-party.html). In 2007, Rena attended a party for Allegra Hicks at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house (https://medium.com/@the_war_economy/investigation-jeffrey-epstein-d2ad68e2e845). Her husband, Sami, is a venture capitalist.
Slayton, Bobby: Actocomedian who admits to seeing Epstein in West Palm Beach a few times over the years. Slayton says that “they weren’t friends,” although he once went to Epstein’s Manhattan mansion for coffee (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article234312632.html).
Smith Osborne: Not enough info.
Smith Peterson, Noona: Public relations officer and consultant who has worked for Tom Ford, Armani, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Tod’s. She now has her own PR agency. In 2015, Forbes named her one of the 12 women who have changed Italian fashion (https://www.forbes.com/sites/declaneytan/2015/02/06/the-12-women-whove-changed-italian-fashion/#553827046f86). Noona is married to Enrico Erba, who is a client manager for Giorgio Armani.
Smith, James: Co-founder and CEO of Aegis Trust, an organization focused at stopping genocide in Rwanda. Aegis “enables students, professionals, decision-makers and a wider public to meet survivors and learn from their experiences” (https://www.aegistrust.org/what-we-do/).
Snyder, Maria: Model, designer, artist, and entrepreneur who has worked for the likes of Armani, Versace, Valentino, Calvin Klein, and Karl Lagerfield. Snyder attended a ‘Free the Slaves’ benefit in 2010 where she was photographed with hotelier Andre Balazs, who is mired in Epstein/Maxwell stink, and Brenda Schad, who appears just above (last name incorrectly spelled ‘Shad’).
Soames, Rupert & Milly: Rupert is a British businessman and CEO of Serco, a government contractor that provides health, transport, justice, immigration, defense, and citizen services. Soames and his company is heavily involved in many aspects of government (he is very close with former British Prime Minister David Cameron), and as such, has a huge impact on the public. For example, Serco has been contracted to work on a Coronavirus track-and-trace system for the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/04/nhs-track-and-trace-system-not-expected-to-be-operating-fully-until-september-coronavirus). Soames’s family is very close with the Royal Family (https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/44913948/image/44914915/Camilla-Dunne-Honorable-Rupert-Soames-1988). Prince William served as a pageboy at Rupert and Camilla’s wedding in 1988. Soames is the grandson of Winston Churchill and his brother, Nicholas Soames, served as a British MP from 1983-2019. Nicholas has been accused of being sexist and making inappropriate remarks by several female MPs. Nicholas is also a very close friend of Prince Charles (https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-charless-biggest-buddy-nicholas-soames-royalist-minister-for-food-1466703.html). Milly (Camilla) is Rupert’s wife and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. Milly is a Patron/Trustee for Pace Centre, a children’s charity dedicated to providing education for children with sensory motor disorders (https://thepacecentre.org/about-pace/mission-values-vision/), Heart of Bucks (https://heartofbucks.org/committees-patrons/), an all-purpose charity that divvies up money to many causes, several of which involve children (https://heartofbucks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/hob-annual-report-2018-2019-web.pdf), Action4Youth (https://www.action4youth.org/trustees/), which “partners with government, schools, youth clubs, businesses, trusts and foundations, and others (https://www.action4youth.org/about-action4youth/vision-mission-values/). Camilla is also the daughter of Sir Thomas Raymond Dunne, who served as a Lord Lieutenant of Hereford and Worcester, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire. Her brother, Phillip, has been a British Conservative MP since 2005.
Sobrino, Esperanza: Director of Acquavella art gallery.
Solomon, Andrew: Writer for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. Member of Council on Foreign Relations where Epstein once served.
Soros Peter: Nephew of George Soros. Works as an investment banker. Soros’s name is circled in Epstein’s black book. It turns out that Epstein’s former house manager circled the names of all material witnesses before he died in 2014 (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/jeffrey-epstein-black-book-nick-bryant).
Soros, Peter: Same as above.
Soto, Fernando de: Real estate consultant.
Soto, Jaime & Marina de: No info found.
South, Hamilton: Founder of HL Group, a large marketing firm. Former Chief Marketing Officer for Ralph Lauren. South was a good friend of Carolyn Besette Kennedy (wife of JFK Jr) before she died. He was also a good friend of Lee Radziwill, mother-in-law of Carole Radziwill, listed earlier in Epstein’s book (check out the letter ‘R’ thread), before Lee’s passing.
Souza, Carlos: Works in public relations for Valentino.
Spacey, Kevin: Famous actor who has been accused of sexual assault by actor Anthony Rapp and 14 others (https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/11/07/kevin-spacey-scandal-complete-list-13-accusers/835739001/). He was on the infamous Epstein Africa flight with Clinton and Chris Tucker. Spacey also made this chilling video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZveA-NAIDI), which many think was a direct threat to the Royal Family. As a lot of you know, Spacey was close with the Royal Family and Ghislaine Maxwell. Just last month, a picture surfaced of Spacey and Ghislaine sitting on the British throne (https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/04/uk/maxwell-spacey-throne-gbr-intl/index.html).
Squire, Hugo: See Hugo Swire below.
St. Bris, Edward: International license manager at Pierre Cardin.
Stanburry, Caroline: Reality TV star from the show Ladies of London. Stanbury has also worked in public relations and as a stylist. Ex-girlfriend of Prince Andrew (after his divorce from the Duchess of York) and actor Hugh Grant.
Stark, Koo: Famous photographer who dated Prince Andrew for nearly two years in the early ‘80s. Stark eventually married (and divorced) Tim Jefferies, who was listed earlier in Epstein’s book (check the J-L thread). Stark went on to have a daughter with someone else. Prince Andrew is the godfather.
Starzewski Thomas: Famous British fashion designer whose clothes have been worn by the Royal Family.
Steenkamp, Chris: Not enough info. Possibly the artist responsible for these lovely drawings (https://www.instagram.com/christophersteenkamp.art/?hl=en), but I cannot confirm.
Steiner, Jeffrey: Not enough info. Probably the co-managing partner of MWE real estate group. I could be wrong, though.
Steinkampf, Chris & Nina: No info found.
Stengel, Andrew: Former director of acquisitions for Miramax. Former aide to Governor Mario Cuomo (father of Andrew and Chris).
Stengel, Rick & Mary: Richard is an editor, author, and government official (Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs) under Barack Obama. Richard is now a Senior Advisor at Snapchat and serves on the board of CARE, a charity that caters to women and children (https://care.org/about-us/leadership/richard-stengel/). Mary is his South African wife. Nelson Mandela was the godfather to their son, Gabriel.
Stern, Allison & Leonard: Allison (nee Maher) is a former model and TV producer. Her husband, Leonard, is a billionaire businessman involved in real estate. Leonard founded Homes for the Homeless, a charity that aims to help the financially disadvantaged. A large focus of the charity is children and youth (https://www.hfhnyc.org/). Leonard is also quite the heartless bastard. He announced that he was selling a Homes for the Homeless apartment building in midtown Manhattan, forcing its inhabitants to move out (https://thejewishvoice.com/2019/12/billionaires-nyc-homeless-facility-boots-out-elderly-tenants-before-holidays/). Just to show an example of how all these wealthy people truly do know each other, here is a link with pictures of Malcolm Forbes’s 70th birthday party in Morocco in 1989. Forbes flew out 800 guests (https://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/this-was-then-malcolm-forbes-70th-birthday-part-i/), including Leonard and Allison Stern, Robert Maxwell (Ghislaine’s father), Rupert Murdoch, Ronald Perelman, Barbara Walters, Robert and Blaine Trump, Diane von Furstenberg, King Constantine, Henry Kissinger, James Goldsmith, Hamish Bowles, Gianni Agnelli, Kay Graham, Elizabeth Taylor, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Walter Cronkite, Ann Getty, Fran Lebowitz, and more. Not only are these people rich, famous, and powerful, but many of them also appear in Epstein’s black book.
Stevens Michael: Not enough info.
Stopford-Sackville, Charlie &: Charles works in finance and securities. Owner of Drayton House (https://www.northamptonshiresurprise.com/organisation/drayton/) in Northamptonshire, England. Married to Shona McKinney, who I am guessing is the name that got cut off in Epstein’s black book. Shona is a good friend of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-317052/Marks-married-maiden.html, who is a key figure in this whole Jeffrey Epstein saga.
Stracher Kate: Kate is an artist who went to Oxford with Ghislaine, but claims that she hasn’t seen her since then. (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365733/How-Prince-Andrew-shared-room-Epsteins-Caribbean-hideaway-busty-blonde-claimed-brain-surgeon.html).
Sundlun, Stuart: Managing director of BMB Advisors, a private equity firm. Son of Governor Bruce Sundlun of Rhode Island (1991-1995). Stuart’s father also served as director of the National Security Education Board (NSEB) for four years under Clinton. Bruce is a great friend of Clinton right hand man (and multiple-time passenger on Epstein’s flight log), Ira Magaziner. Magaziner also appeared in Epstein’s black book (check out the ‘M’ thread for more info).
Sunley, Mr James & Amanda: James is CEO of Sunley Holdings, an investment company.
Sutherland, Harry: Likely refers to the investment banker who is Chairman of CrossInvest, an offshore corporate service company.
Svenlinson, Peter: Venture capitalist and founder of The Column Group. Served as Chairman for several pharmaceutical companies (Aragon, which was sold to Johnson & Johnson and Seragon, until it was solid to Genentech/Roche).
Swire, Sophie: English fashion entrepreneur who established a school for jewelers and gem-cutters in Afghanistan at Prince Charles’s request (https://adventurersclub.org/archives/calendanov2015.php). Co-founder of Learning for Life, an educational charity. She was a Trustee and Chairperson from 1995-2000. Learning for Life has established over 250 schools for girls in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
Swire, Hugo: Swire is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2001-2019. Son of Roger, director of Sotheby’s.
Swire, Jenny: Former Miss South Africa. Fashion director for Wedding Magazine and TV personality. Contributing editor for Tatler, a publication which has appeared more than ten times amongst Epstein’s contacts.
Swire, Mark: Involved in real estate.
Sykes, Lucy Ewen: Entrepreneur, fashion executive, and socialite. Fashion director of Marie Claire magazine. Former consultant for Ralph Lauren, T. J. Maxx, and Tommy Hilfiger. Good friend of nightclub guru Amy Sacco, who is one of the contacts listed earlier in this thread. Lucy and her husband attended a dinner for Prince Andrew at Epstein’s house in the early 2000s (https://www.thecut.com/2019/07/ghislaine-maxwell-the-socialite-on-jeffrey-epsteins-arm.html). Lucy’s husband, Euan Rellie, has been a friend of Ghislaine Maxwell’s for years.

I might get a bit off topic at times, and I apologize if I seem to be falling into the 'new user, bunch of threads' trend. I promise not to.
Quick background: I have a friend in Venezuela who sells Venezuelan cigars and has been looking to expand the business, either by offering it to more international markets or by getting more international brands to sell locally. In doing so, he recently visited the Dominican Republic and made many contacts. So when I made plans to visit DR, I asked him to give me some of those contacts.
In my short smoking experience, it's been Dominican cigars the ones that have surprised me the most. While I enjoy the myriad of pepper types available in Nicaraguan cigars and have enjoyed many habanos (even some of the fakes), it's the Dominican cigars that I've found to have more unexpected and different flavors.
My first surprise was that many of the best known brands are really expensive there. I'm talking $40 for an Opus X, $18 for a la Flor Dominicana La Nox, $23 for a Romeo y Julieta - Romeo, and so on. This happens because most of the big name factories sell almost all of their production to the US, leaving very little to the local market, so most Dominican big brands found in DR are actually imported products from the US. Naturally, they try to import the ones where the can get a higher gain margin and that's why you'll see many Opus X and very little $5 cigars.
Yet, the DR has its healthy amount of local, smaller and rising stars in tobacco, with brands like Chogüí, Edolara, Musa, Caminos and others. My visit was kind of short and there aren't huge highways in DR, so going from where I was (Punta Cana) to the tobacco capital (Tamboril) is about a 5 hour drive in semi-rural roads... not something I was looking to do, especially since I had a wife and my parents to tag along (non smokers) and I already had a recommendation to visit a factor in La Romana (90 minutes away).
This recommendation was Cornelio Cigars, property of Martin Cornelio, a really down-to-earth guy I contacted via Facebook and who told me to drop by whenever I wanted. I was quite sure it'd be the typical "yeah, this is a store, buy anything and good-bye" type of deal, but as I entered the store/factor, Cornelio was actually waiting for me. I made it clear from the start I was neither a distributor or a corporate buyer, I was just a regular smoker looking to buy some smokes. Cornelio led me to his storeroom and asked me what type of cigars I liked. I said strong-flavored coronas and he gave me one and said "try this one" and he just gave me a cigar.
As soon as I lighted it up, Cornelio pointed to a chair and said "You can enjoy the smoke there", right in the middle of the store. I sat down and in the next minute, Cornelio sat and also lighted a cigar. We sat there smoking for about 10 minutes and having a great chat about Dominican cigars, the best leaves, why he doesn't sell habanos (too many fakes, not worth the risk) and his other projects.
About 15 minutes later he asked me what I though of the cigar; it was really good. I was halfway through and there were different nuances along the smoke, smokey flavors, raisins, fruity like melon, and more. Cornelio just got up and came back with a torpedo. He said "Light this one, you'll notice it's a bit different, maybe you'll like it more". The torpedo was a bit softer, less intense, so after about 20 minutes of that he gets up and offers me a robusto. "Maybe you'll like this one better". I got there at around 10:00am and before noon I had already smoked 4 cigars and had a line of about 3 more to try... all before lunch!
He also asked me if I liked VegaFina, which I confessed I never tried before. So he told me he's working with a blender form there to produce their own blend (called Tiranos, which isn't available yet) and let me try one of the test cigars.
I ended up buying about 4 mazos (2 of torpedos, 1 coronas, 1 robustos), plus a few other cigars he sold, including a La Flor Dominicana - Conga 1994, which he said is the best LFD cigar and a Dominican H. Upmann. I also left the store quite happy to have met a cigar producer and have him tell me so much about the industry and without so much as my insistence on the subject. I've actually managed to gauge some local interest here and will probably visit the island soon to get some more cigars as well as visit other factories.
At one time two guys entered the store with a few cigar boxes and started showing them to him, trying to sell them. The cigars were called Don Andres, which I had never heard of. One of the boxes was red, another was black and two of them were wood colored (not painted). Cornelio looked at them for a while and asked "Are these maduros, naturals or what?" The two guys looked at each other and one said "The ones in the red box are maduros, and the ones in the black box are... maduros as well... the ones in the wooden box I think are Connecticut". So after about 5 minutes of just looking them over, Cornelio gives them back and says "no thanks". After they left I mention I never heard of Don Andres cigars before, and Cornelio says "neither have I". Then he said, "these guys will try to sell these in a couple of other stores. If they can't sell them, they'll go back home, slap a Cohiba band on them and go hunting for tourists". The fake Cubans market in DR is incredible. I saw many decent looking stores that had Cohibas for $55 each and you could see the open boxes where each cigars was a different shade.
Before leaving the DR, I also visited a store in the airport called Cabinet, where I know they sell good stuff and got me some much-needed habanos and some Dominican goodies. Next time I visit I will try to go into more emerging factories and maybe even venture the 5-hour drive to Tamboril.

[m] Longboi, tl;dr at the bottom [/m]

“The old bastard Trujillo has been dead for 68 years, yet his mark was left on this country and persists to this day. The people to the west, their culture, their language, we despise it. It’s in our blood. We chant it under our breaths, every time we see anyone who even looks Haitian:
‘They cross into our country, steal our jobs, and don’t integrate into society. They keep their primitive beliefs and traditions, and pollute the country with idiocy and their poverty. We have enough homeless. We don’t need more. We don’t want them. They can grovel in their dirt huts in their own country.’
We believe these things. It has infected our minds. Trujillo has his voice in your’s, he lives on. What we say goes further than here, the scope is far larger. The people in the Congress, they parrot it, because they were children too, and they watched the news and heard the talk.
We can escape. We all can escape, and we can be children again. Innocent, uncorrupted, loving children. We can see past our societal cataracts, our lense of racism, and look to the west for what it is.
An uncontrolled, tantrum-throwing child with some of the worst growing pains imaginable, which have held her back from ever progressing past the state we left long ago. A childhood friend who became our vicious enemy, and who now sits on their half of the island, sad and alone.
We stand there, in the east, gawking, looking down on them. We say nothing, we only stare, when we could offer a hand, and allow them to begin getting past the point they’ve been stuck on for decades. We can guide them into the 21st century and beyond. All it takes is reconsideration of the past, forgiveness.
Our rejection will not be forgotten by them easily, but all we can do is be patient and kind, cooperating with what we can. All that’s needed for a start is a sorry for actions we did not commit, but remain on our collective conscience. We have things to say sorry for, but for those who stand by what we say yet are hesitant to accept this, we are the adult here, and it falls on us to begin reconciliation.”

Martin Vincent continued to talk on a small pedestal, into a microphone set up by a small group of youths. His movement was small, but all that they needed was a big break. Their words were contagious, grappling ahold of a mind and its prejudice like a boa constrictor and its prey.
They made the listener consider what they’ve thought, and suspect themselves guilty of subconscious hate. Vincent was nothing if not an ideologue, and this showed in every speech he’d made at his small pedestal in the middle of a large town on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.
Whatever shape his new thought took was his own decision. Despite having a small group of people committed to what he spoke, they were not independent thinkers. They followed what he said well, and believed it with all their heart, even those who saw the many changes the new thought took to get to the place it is now.

The New Influence

The middle of winter, the dry season, was still busy as ever, and Vincent continued to speak on his small pedestal. It had been a while since one of his speeches, and the ideology, which, in the meantime, he had finally named "Dividido Nunca Más" (little did he know this name would come to mean much more in the future than just reconciliation).
During the day, his usual crowd of onlookers which, while staying the same, usually had different faces every hour or so, was different. There was a single person, in a suit, holding a briefcase, who had been there for almost 40 minutes, just listening to Vincent. He sat on his briefcase, which held his small frame easily, just looking on, with an expression confessing complete immersion.
It made Vincent nervous at first, to have what could be a new recruit within his grasp, but he steeled himself, and began to get a lot more vehement, building to a point where he could win this man over most definitely. This build-up to a finale took around 15 minutes, and once completed, had the man at a standing ovation.
Vincent coughed, and slugged down some water.

“That’s all for today, my loyal onlookers. I hope all of you have a great day, and I hope you take what I’ve said to heart.”

The majority of the crowd dispersed. Except for the man. He got his suitcase, and he walked up to Mr. Vincent. His voice was gravelly, and he wasn’t the most pleasing man to look at up close.
“I really thought a lot of what you’ve said, and it makes me intrigued. I’d like to know so much more. Can you show me?”
Vincent acted as though he was surprised. He responded in a soft, appealing voice.

“Haha, all in good time. We’re not even acquainted, though. Don’t you know how to greet a new friend?”

The man cleared his throat.
“Ah, of course. I’m Oscar, Oscar Dengra.”
Dengra reached his hand out, and Vincent shook his hand.

“I’m Martin, Martin Vincent. It’s so nice to meet you. Now, I’m very tired from the long oration, so can we talk somewhere else? I know of a great coffee shop if you’re not busy at the moment.”

Oscar looked happy with this idea, but then turned a ghastly shade of pale.
“Mr. Vincent, I’d love to talk at the moment, but I was heading to my job before you took me in. If I don’t show up at all they’ll probably fire me when I walk in next morning.”

“I can offer you a ride. I have a car parked in a nearby lot.”

“Could you? A thousand thanks, Mr. Vincent. I’m not usually so keen to take rides with strangers, but this is an emergency, you see.”
Vincent began to stride towards a parking lot, speaking whilst guiding Dengra to his car.

“Eh, we’re not strangers anymore, Dengra! We’re not on a first name basis yet, but I see a great future for our relationship.”

Vincent dropped Dengra off at his job, outside a news station. The light bulb appeared over his head in an instant. He saw exactly where this would go.
They had exchanged emails before departing, and the first one sent was quite simple. Vincent wanted to meet at the coffee shop he planned to go to before, on a day they were both free. That day would be a week and a half after their first encounter.

The Alteration

Dengra saw Vincent sitting alone in a booth, and steadily approached. Vincent lit up when he saw him, and waved a waiter over to the booth just as Dengra sat down. Dengra took some straight black coffee, and Vincent had his with milk and sugar.
Vincent proceeded to drone on about what he thought Dividido Nunca Mas was to him, and to him it was quite simple and short. It hadn’t become as politicised as it would become. It was simple at its core:

• A rejection of the hatred that divided Hispaniola, which was created by xenophobia and Trujillo’s influence from beyond the grave.
  • A focus on "becoming children, devoid of prejudice", once again.
• A reconciliation of the Dominican Republic and its people and culture with Haiti’s people and culture, and an intermingling of these cultures to create what would become a united Hispaniolan culture.
• In a different scope, the Dominican Republic assisting Haiti’s development, citing an obligation to help a childhood friend turned enemy.
• Acceptance of the Haitian state’s past mistakes, and apologising for the Dominican Republic’s past mistakes.
  • Haiti is still but a child, whereas the Dominican Republic has progressed so much farther. Therefore, the Dominican Republic cannot expect Haiti to apologise, but the Dominican Republic is more mature, and can reconcile through apologising, and being the better man. Apologies would come when Haiti can stand on its own two feet.
    • (Haiti as a state is viewed a childish, immature, tantrum-throwing brat. It’s a bit condescending, and professes the Dominican Republic as most assuredly superior politically, despite citing the goal of equality in the future.)
• Religiously, there is no set preference besides Christianity. The practice of combining Vodou with Roman Catholicism isn’t condemned, but not necessarily encouraged.

Dengra, after listening to Vincent for God knows how long and taking the majority to heart, expressed some of his thoughts over what could be changed.

“First, I’d like to assure you that this is something I believe in, and I want to help you. I’m sure you’re aware that I work at the news station Telemicro Canal 5, so I’ll inform you of my specific job. I’m a writer, and I assure you I’m going to try my damndest to get our ideology on television.
Second, to be completely forthright, I think some of your ideas need to be challenged. I’m a fan of the majority, but because you haven’t met someone truly interested in debating, it hasn’t been honed down to something that can be wielded for the better. Once you’re on television, you’re going to be getting a lot more debate, but I would like to nitpick some of the less strong areas.
Religiously, change is needed. Religion is one of the largest aspects of life, as we both know. It will be the hardest to change, and the most important to change. If left untouched, it will ensure the existence of a syncretic Hispaniolan culture never comes to pass. We need to decide what will be there, or we need to drop it completely, and incorporate it into just cultural intermingling until we’re large enough to be able to afford a polarised populace by mentioning a specific goal on that area.”

Vincent was taken aback for the first time in a good while. He had never truly encountered someone who wanted to affect his ideology. It was solely his to change, and only harboured one person to think about what it meant. With this new addition, there would be two people to affect what this was.
He accepted it, realising it didn’t matter if he did or not. Once more people subscribed to this channel of thought there would be change no matter what. It would need to be controlled as it expanded, but alterations were unavoidable.
“Yes, I agree. Let’s drop it.”
And so the start of Dividido Nunca Mas as a constantly changing thought was brought. What else would change in time was unknown, but all that could be hoped for was that at its core, the intentions were the same.

The Interview

Telemicro Canal 5 News, Program “Lo Ultimo” (basically evening news)

“In local news, La Romana’s Martin Vincent and a group of loyal followers have begun aggressively pursuing the spread of their ideology “Dividido Nunca Mas”, a belief in reconciliation of the Dominican Republic with Haiti, which would involve the Dominican Republic assisting Haiti with development, and encouraging Haitian and Dominican cultural intermingling.
We have Vincent on tonight for an interview in order to give us an inside look into this ideology. Vincent?”
The camera pans over to a somewhat sweaty but calm Vincent in a black pinstriped suit sitting on a couch, accompanied by another man sitting across from him in a chair. The man holds a clipboard, presumably full of questions.

“Hey Rafael, thank you for inviting me onto the show. I’m glad to give insight into what I view as a great future for all of Hispaniola…”

The interviewer begins his interrogation.
“Mr. Vincent, how did you come up with your new train of thought that very well might sweep the nation in time?”

“Well, when I was in college, I majored in sociology and had a minor in political science. The first draft of my thought came from my thesis, in which I used my previous intrigue in Haiti that i’ve possessed since I was a child. It made me come to wonder how much Haiti was hated by the Dominican Republic, and realised that I wanted to do whatever I could to change it.”

“How has your ideology changed since its inception?”

“Oh, that’s a very broad question. I think the main change has been its evolution from just love of our western neighbor. Now it has become realised to such a greater extent, with ambition of development and cultural intermingling.”

“What’s your occupation, besides sidewalk orator?”

“I’m a political analyst and freelance writer, although recently I’ve been receiving donations which allow me to focus more on my work as one who spreads Dividido Nunca Mas. I make enough money to sustain myself, but not enough to ensure whoever I marry doesn’t have to work, sadly.”

“I’m sure that after your exposure you’ll be getting a lot more donations. Do you believe that you’ll be open to running for office at any point?”

“No, no, we have people with ambitions like that, but personally, I see my future as someone who will be devoted to speaking my mind on any level, fully committed to that cause, but not someone who will be putting it into action. Our thought already has subscribers which will do that, they don’t need me.”

“Will there be a political party devoted solely to your ideology formed?”

“Probably not, but I won’t leave out the possibility. I imagine the main goal will just be converting parties which already hold office. Our thought isn’t completely incompatible with parties already in congress.”

“In what ways will the Dominican Republic contribute to Haiti’s development in the case of a full realisation of your ideology?”

“Economic cooperation and investment, corruption elimination, family planning, disaster assistance, lesser restriction on Haitian emigration, and trade on a local scale, just to name a few.”

“Big question, could you summarise some of the major events in your life that made you who you are right now?”

“Well, when I was just a kid my father, a ^{drunkard and a gambler, left my life. My reliance on my mother increased but overall .......} ”

The interview went well, and now a massive portion of the country knew about Dividido Nunca Mas. A website going into what the ideology really meant, set up by one of Vincent’s tech-savvy friends, had an explosion of traffic over the next few days. Debate and criticism of the ideology was abound. The future looked bright for Vincent, and his hope of reconciliation.
TL;DR: A new ideology, representing Haitian reconciliation, is present and well-known in the Dominican Republic. It will only go up from here.

Tobacco Growing Regions of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is the leading producer of premium handmade cigars in the world, exporting over 150 million cigars a year. The main tobacco growing region of the country is a 150 square mile area bounded on the north by the Cordillera Septentrional mountains, on the south by the Cordillera Central mountains, the Yaque river in the west, and the city of Santiago in the east, known as the Cibao Valley. The northern part of Cibao features deep, rich soils, with ample drainage and plentiful sunlight. The breezes coming off the northern mountains provide heat relief for the delicate tobacco plants, and contributes to the diverse and unique micro-climates within the region. These factors make the northern Cibao much more conducive to tobacco growing than the south, and the tobacco regions of the northern Cibao are among the most famous in the world:

• Villa Gonzalez: Also known as La Canela, this region northwest of Santiago is thought of as the Pinar del Rio (the Cuban region, not the cigar), of the Dominican Republic. VG features a tropical climate with rich, dark soil, and accounts for 15% of the Cibao Valley's tobacco crop. This area is the main growing region for Olor Dominicano tobacco.
  
• Jacagua: Southeast of Villa Gonzalez, Jacagua features milder temperatures, and the most fertile soils in the Cibao. A majority of farms in this region are 2-3 acre family plots, that are privately managed. Due to the different processes the families use, tobaccos from Jacagua are unique not just from the other growing regions, but from plot to plot within the region as well.
  
• Navarette: The hub of the northwest Cibao, Navarette, also known as Buisono, features an arid climate with sandy soil perfect for growing Piloto Cubano tobacco. Crisscrossed with irrigation canals, Navarette is home to large commercial farms of up to 1,000 acres a piece, employing farm hands from across the Cibao region.
  
• Mao: This westernmost region of Cibao is relatively small, at just 1,200 acres. Mao features rich, red, Cuban-esque soil that produces Piloto Cubano of unique flavors and aromas from the rest of the Cibao Valley.
  
• Southern Cibao: The majority of the tobacco grown in this region is shade-grown Connecticut seed wrapper, often used for candela shade wrappers. The famous Fuente Opus wrapper is grown here at the El Caribe farm. The nature of the Dominican soil and climate make growing wrapper tobacco notoriously difficult, though it is becoming more common throughout the industry, and thus it is still rare to find many Dominican puros available on the market. A partial list of Dominican puros appears at the end of this post.
  

Tobaccos of the Dominican Republic
The micro-climates mentioned above create an extraordinary environment for a wide variety of tobaccos. While Corojo, Criollo, Habano, and Connecticut shade are cultivated in small amounts in the Dominican Republic, there are two particular tobaccos that the DR is known for: Piloto Cubano and Olor Dominicano.
Piloto Cubano arrived in the Dominican Republic in 1962, after the nationalization of the Cuban tobacco industry. Primarily a filler tobacco, Piloto Cubano is planted in October to maximize sun exposure, while avoiding the dry season. It is a peppery, spicy tobacco, with a fuller body and richer flavor than many equate with Dominican tobacco. Several hybrid tobacco varietals are offshoots of the Piloto Cubano seed due in large part to the favorable strength and flavor of the tobacco it yields. At a factory training this past October I had the opportunity to try a Piloto puro tester to help understand the flavor characteristics of the tobacco, and I was incredibly surprised. The Piloto offered a medium plus body, and an extremely spicy flavor. It was somewhat intense as a puro, but it gave a great appreciation for what Piloto brings to the blending of a cigar.
Olor Dominicano is native to the Dominican Republic, with a name meaning, literally, aroma. The physical characteristics of this tobacco, a thin, small leaf with an excellent burn, lends itself ideally for binders, though it also is used in filler as well. The tobacco features a salty, neutral taste that is extremely mild, but offers an intense floral aroma. Due to its flavor characteristics, Olor tobacco tends to dry out the mouth when smoked, and this, paired with its thin leaf, makes it unsuitable for use as a wrapper. The Olor puro I sampled at the aforementioned factory training was one of the least pleasant cigar experiences of my life. It was extremely arid and devoid of nearly any pleasant flavor, however the aroma was wonderful. All things considered, if you are ever offered the experience, I recommend taking a pass.
Top Factories of the Dominican Republic
While there are (obviously) many more factories in the Dominican Republic than listed here, these are the highlights of the lot, with the location of the facilities and a fun fact about each included:

• Davidoff; Villa Gonzalez; Three separate manufacturing facilities on one campus, Cigars Davidoff (CiDav), producing the famed White Label products, O.K. Cigars, producing Avo and Zino, and Occidental, producing contracted brands such and Hammer & Sickle.
  
• General Cigar Dominicana S.A.S.; Santiago; A 70,000 square foot facility, employing over 4,000 rollers.
  
• Pinar del Rio; Tamboril; Produces approximately 5 million cigars a year, with a nearly 50/50 split between PDR and contract products.
  
• Tabacalera A. Fuente; Santiago; Produces more that 30 million cigars a year, including Ashton and J.C. Newman products.
  
• Tabacalera de Garcia; La Romana; 270K square feet, processes 50K-60K pounds of tobacco a week, and produces over 60 million cigars a year.
  
• Tabacalera La Flor S.A.; Villa Gonzalez; Vertically integrated facility, producing over 4 million cigars a year.
  

Dominican Puros
For your sampling pleasure, here is a (very) partial list of Dominican puros. Please feel free to suggest edits; if I've missed something you enjoy, let me know, and I'll make sure to add it to the list:

• Opus X by A. Fuente
  
• RoMeO Aging Room by Altadis
  
• LG Series by La Flor Dominicana
  
• Puro d'Oro by Davidoff
  
• La Aurora
  
• Cusano
  

Edit: Wanted to add the Chogui Dos77 to the Dominican Puro list. H/t to FUHNAHTIK for pointing out my oversight.

“The old bastard Trujillo has been dead for 68 years, yet his mark was left on this country and persists to this day. The people to the west, their culture, their language, we despise it. It’s in our blood. We chant it under our breaths, every time we see anyone who even looks Haitian:
‘They cross into our country, steal our jobs, and don’t integrate into society. They keep their primitive beliefs and traditions, and pollute the country with idiocy and their poverty. We have enough homeless. We don’t need more. We don’t want them. They can grovel in their dirt huts in their own country.’
We believe these things. It has infected our minds. Trujillo has his voice in your’s, he lives on. What we say goes further than here, the scope is far larger. The people in the Congress, they parrot it, because they were children too, and they watched the news and heard the talk.
We can escape. We all can escape, and we can be children again. Innocent, uncorrupted, loving children. We can see past our societal cataracts, our lense of racism, and look to the west for what it is.
An uncontrolled, tantrum-throwing child with some of the worst growing pains imaginable, which have held her back from ever progressing past the state we left long ago. A childhood friend who became our vicious enemy, and who now sits on their half of the island, sad and alone.
We stand there, in the east, gawking, looking down on them. We say nothing, we only stare, when we could offer a hand, and allow them to begin getting past the point they’ve been stuck on for decades. We can guide them into the 21st century and beyond. All it takes is reconsideration of the past, forgiveness.
Our rejection will not be forgotten by them easily, but all we can do is be patient and kind, cooperating with what we can. All that’s needed for a start is a sorry for actions we did not commit, but remain on our collective conscience. We have things to say sorry for, but for those who stand by what we say yet are hesitant to accept this, we are the adult here, and it falls on us to begin reconciliation.”

Martin Vincent continued to talk on a small pedestal, into a microphone set up by a small group of youths. His movement was small, but all that they needed was a big break. Their words were contagious, grappling ahold of a mind and its prejudice like a boa constrictor and its prey.
They made the listener consider what they’ve thought, and suspect themselves guilty of subconscious hate. Vincent was nothing if not an ideologue, and this showed in every speech he’d made at his small pedestal in the middle of a large town on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.
Whatever shape his new thought took was his own decision. Despite having a small group of people committed to what he spoke, they were not independent thinkers. They followed what he said well, and believed it with all their heart, even those who saw the many changes the new thought took to get to the place it is now.

The New Influence

The middle of winter, the dry season, was still busy as ever, and Vincent continued to speak on his small pedestal. It had been a while since one of his speeches, and the ideology, which, in the meantime, he had finally named "Dividido Nunca Más" (little did he know this name would come to mean much more in the future than just reconciliation).
During the day, his usual crowd of onlookers which, while staying the same, usually had different faces every hour or so, was different. There was a single person, in a suit, holding a briefcase, who had been there for almost 40 minutes, just listening to Vincent. He sat on his briefcase, which held his small frame easily, just looking on, with an expression confessing complete immersion.
It made Vincent nervous at first, to have what could be a new recruit within his grasp, but he steeled himself, and began to get a lot more vehement, building to a point where he could win this man over most definitely. This build-up to a finale took around 15 minutes, and once completed, had the man at a standing ovation.
Vincent coughed, and slugged down some water.

“That’s all for today, my loyal onlookers. I hope all of you have a great day, and I hope you take what I’ve said to heart.”

The majority of the crowd dispersed. Except for the man. He got his suitcase, and he walked up to Mr. Vincent. His voice was gravelly, and he wasn’t the most pleasing man to look at up close.
“I really thought a lot of what you’ve said, and it makes me intrigued. I’d like to know so much more. Can you show me?”
Vincent acted as though he was surprised. He responded in a soft, appealing voice.

“Haha, all in good time. We’re not even acquainted, though. Don’t you know how to greet a new friend?”

The man cleared his throat.
“Ah, of course. I’m Oscar, Oscar Dengra.”
Dengra reached his hand out, and Vincent shook his hand.

“I’m Martin, Martin Vincent. It’s so nice to meet you. Now, I’m very tired from the long oration, so can we talk somewhere else? I know of a great coffee shop if you’re not busy at the moment.”

Oscar looked happy with this idea, but then turned a ghastly shade of pale.
“Mr. Vincent, I’d love to talk at the moment, but I was heading to my job before you took me in. If I don’t show up at all they’ll probably fire me when I walk in next morning.”

“I can offer you a ride. I have a car parked in a nearby lot.”

“Could you? A thousand thanks, Mr. Vincent. I’m not usually so keen to take rides with strangers, but this is an emergency, you see.”
Vincent began to stride towards a parking lot, speaking whilst guiding Dengra to his car.

“Eh, we’re not strangers anymore, Dengra! We’re not on a first name basis yet, but I see a great future for our relationship.”

Vincent dropped Dengra off at his job, outside a news station. The light bulb appeared over his head in an instant. He saw exactly where this would go.
They had exchanged emails before departing, and the first one sent was quite simple. Vincent wanted to meet at the coffee shop he planned to go to before, on a day they were both free. That day would be a week and a half after their first encounter.*

The Alteration

Dengra saw Vincent sitting alone in a booth, and steadily approached. Vincent lit up when he saw him, and waved a waiter over to the booth just as Dengra sat down. Dengra took some straight black coffee, and Vincent had his with milk and sugar.
Vincent proceeded to drone on about what he thought Dividido Nunca Mas was to him, and to him it was quite simple and short. It hadn’t become as politicised as it would become. It was simple at its core:

• A rejection of the hatred that divided Hispaniola, which was created by xenophobia and Trujillo’s influence from beyond the grave.
  • A focus on "becoming children, devoid of prejudice", once again.
• A reconciliation of the Dominican Republic and its people and culture with Haiti’s people and culture, and an intermingling of these cultures to create what would become a united Hispaniolan culture.
• In a different scope, the Dominican Republic assisting Haiti’s development, citing an obligation to help a childhood friend turned enemy.
• Acceptance of the Haitian state’s past mistakes, and apologising for the Dominican Republic’s past mistakes.
  • Haiti is still but a child, whereas the Dominican Republic has progressed so much farther. Therefore, the Dominican Republic cannot expect Haiti to apologise, but the Dominican Republic is more mature, and can reconcile through apologising, and being the better man. Apologies would come when Haiti can stand on its own two feet.
    • (Haiti as a state is viewed a childish, immature, tantrum-throwing brat. It’s a bit condescending, and professes the Dominican Republic as most assuredly superior politically, despite citing the goal of equality in the future.)
• Religiously, there is no set preference besides Christianity. The practice of combining Vodou with Roman Catholicism isn’t condemned, but not necessarily encouraged.

Dengra, after listening to Vincent for God knows how long and taking the majority to heart, expressed some of his thoughts over what could be changed.

“First, I’d like to assure you that this is something I believe in, and I want to help you. I’m sure you’re aware that I work at the news station Telemicro Canal 5, so I’ll inform you of my specific job. I’m a writer, and I assure you I’m going to try my damndest to get our ideology on television.
Second, to be completely forthright, I think some of your ideas need to be challenged. I’m a fan of the majority, but because you haven’t met someone truly interested in debating, it hasn’t been honed down to something that can be wielded for the better. Once you’re on television, you’re going to be getting a lot more debate, but I would like to nitpick some of the less strong areas.
Religiously, change is needed. Religion is one of the largest aspects of life, as we both know. It will be the hardest to change, and the most important to change. If left untouched, it will ensure the existence of a syncretic Hispaniolan culture never comes to pass. We need to decide what will be there, or we need to drop it completely, and incorporate it into just cultural intermingling until we’re large enough to be able to afford a polarised populace by mentioning a specific goal on that area.”

Vincent was taken aback for the first time in a good while. He had never truly encountered someone who wanted to affect his ideology. It was solely his to change, and only harboured one person to think about what it meant. With this new addition, there would be two people to affect what this was.
He accepted it, realising it didn’t matter if he did or not. Once more people subscribed to this channel of thought there would be change no matter what. It would need to be controlled as it expanded, but alterations were unavoidable.
“Yes, I agree. Let’s drop it.”
And so the start of Dividido Nunca Mas as a constantly changing thought was brought. What else would change in time was unknown, but all that could be hoped for was that at its core, the intentions were the same.

The Interview

Telemicro Canal 5 News, Program “Lo Ultimo” (basically evening news)

“In local news, La Romana’s Martin Vincent and a group of loyal followers have begun aggressively pursuing the spread of their ideology “Dividido Nunca Mas”, a belief in reconciliation of the Dominican Republic with Haiti, which would involve the Dominican Republic assisting Haiti with development, and encouraging Haitian and Dominican cultural intermingling.
We have Vincent on tonight for an interview in order to give us an inside look into this ideology. Vincent?”
The camera pans over to a somewhat sweaty but calm Vincent in a black pinstriped suit sitting on a couch, accompanied by another man sitting across from him in a chair. The man holds a clipboard, presumably full of questions.

“Hey Rafael, thank you for inviting me onto the show. I’m glad to give insight into what I view as a great future for all of Hispaniola…”

The interviewer begins his interrogation.
“Mr. Vincent, how did you come up with your new train of thought that very well might sweep the nation in time?”

“Well, when I was in college, I majored in sociology and had a minor in political science. The first draft of my thought came from my thesis, in which I used my previous intrigue in Haiti that i’ve possessed since I was a child. It made me come to wonder how much Haiti was hated by the Dominican Republic, and realised that I wanted to do whatever I could to change it.”

“How has your ideology changed since its inception?”

“Oh, that’s a very broad question. I think the main change has been its evolution from just love of our western neighbor. Now it has become realised to such a greater extent, with ambition of development and cultural intermingling.”

“What’s your occupation, besides sidewalk orator?”

“I’m a political analyst and freelance writer, although recently I’ve been receiving donations which allow me to focus more on my work as one who spreads Dividido Nunca Mas. I make enough money to sustain myself, but not enough to ensure whoever I marry doesn’t have to work, sadly.”

“I’m sure that after your exposure you’ll be getting a lot more donations. Do you believe that you’ll be open to running for office at any point?”

“No, no, we have people with ambitions like that, but personally, I see my future as someone who will be devoted to speaking my mind on any level, fully committed to that cause, but not someone who will be putting it into action. Our thought already has subscribers which will do that, they don’t need me.”

“Will there be a political party devoted solely to your ideology formed?”

“Probably not, but I won’t leave out the possibility. I imagine the main goal will just be converting parties which already hold office. Our thought isn’t completely incompatible with parties already in congress.”

“In what ways will the Dominican Republic contribute to Haiti’s development in the case of a full realisation of your ideology?”

“Economic cooperation and investment, corruption elimination, family planning, disaster assistance, lesser restriction on Haitian emigration, and trade on a local scale, just to name a few.”

“Big question, could you summarise some of the major events in your life that made you who you are right now?”

“Well, when I was just a kid my father, a ^{drunkard and a gambler, left my life. My reliance on my mother increased but overall .......} ”

The interview went well, and now a massive portion of the country knew about Dividido Nunca Mas. A website going into what the ideology really meant, set up by one of Vincent’s tech-savvy friends, had an explosion of traffic over the next few days. Debate and criticism of the ideology was abound. The future looked bright for Vincent, and his hope of reconciliation.
TL;DR: A new ideology, representing Haitian reconciliation, is present and well-known in the Dominican Republic. It will only go up from here.

I finally got time to really go through the rest of my cigars that I brought back from a recent trip to the Dominican Republic. Fortunately, these were tossed in for free when I was buying other cigars throughout the trip so I'm technically not at a loss. But dissecting these things was still an unpleasant experience on its own...
First up, two Don Juan counterfeits. I've admittedly not seen a real Don Juan cigar but the pictures on Google show it as having what appears to be a holographic foil band instead of the low-quality paper bands above. I opened them up to find a paper wrapper of some sort. Here's a closeup.
Then there are these embarrassingly shitty...things. Left - chocolate infused. Right - "natural" tobacco. Both have packaging and bands that look like they were printed on a home printer and the natural sticker was definitely made with a handheld label printer. And it seems that these are made with leftovers or just shit-quality tobacco. I sifted through it all for a minute and they were nothing like the Don Juans.
And then there's this VegaFina that I'm honestly not sure about. It and the others were in a section with the rest of the "known good" cigars but the packaging quality seems low... Pic 2 | Pic 3.
Anyway, if anybody visits the Dreams La Romana resort, I'd suggest paying close attention or simply avoiding the cigar store there.
Edit
The formatting with this post is a wreck with RES. I'll maybe clean it up later...