Sonja Kohn
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Sonja Kohn (born August 5, 1948 in Vienna) is an Austrian banker.
Biography
Sonja Kohn was born to Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe. She grew up in Vienna in a small Jewish community. In the 1970s, with her husband Erwin Kohn, she started an import-export business and moved to Milan, Italy.
In 1984 she founded the Bank Medici in Vienna. One year later, she moved to New York. They lived in Monsey, a large, ultraorthodox Jewish community. Increasingly orthodox, she covered her hair as is customary for traditionally orthodox women. The Kohns founded a small brokerage firm, the Eurovaleur Inc. In New York City she became known as “Austria’s woman on Wall Street.”
In 1990s, they moved back to Vienna. There, she cooperated with Gerhard Randa of Bank Austria. The Bank Medici was relaunched in 2003 as an Aktiengesellschaft. Sonja is shareholder of 75 percent and is head of the bank's supervising board. She also became consultant of the Vienna Stock Exchange and was member of the supervisory board of Italian Finlombardia bank.[1].
Madoff Connection
The Bank Medici directed funds from investors to Bernard Madoff. Kohn disappeared from public view after the disclosure of the securities fraud conducted by him either to hide from unhappy clients, or from embarrassment at being involved in the affair, or worse [2]. Following this, Bank Medici has decided on March 19, 2009 to wind down all banking business and to relinquish the banking license.[3]