A follow-up to that story:
Trump’s Media Company Reportedly Under Federal Investigation For Money Laundering Linked To Russia
TOPLINE
A federal criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s media company Trump Media has expanded to include potential money laundering violations linked to an $8 million loan with Russian ties, the
Guardian reported Wednesday, potentially further threatening the ex-president’s media company and its planned merger with special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC).
KEY FACTS
Citing anonymous sources, the
Guardian reports federal prosecutors in New York expanded their criminal probe into Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Trump’s Truth Social platform, at the end of last year to scrutinize the $8 million in payments.
The payments were reportedly made in two installments, with $2 million being paid to the company in December 2021—when the
Guardian notes it was on the “brink of collapse” after its planned merger with DWAC got delayed—and another $8 million was paid two months later.
he payments came from Paxum Bank, which is registered in Dominica, and ES Family Trust, and the
Guardian reports Paxum Bank is partly owned by Anton Postolnikov, an apparent relation of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who worked for Putin’s government until 2017 and now runs the Russian-controlled maritime company Rosmorport.
Investigators were reportedly tipped off about the payments in October 2022 by whistleblower
Will Wilkerson, a former executive at Trump Media, who told the
Guardian the payments initially “caused alarm” at Trump Media and executives considered returning the money but decided not to, in part because they couldn’t afford to lose it.
Trump’s son Donald Trump, Jr., was reportedly aware of at least the first payment coming through, the
Guardian reported, quoting an email sent to him about it to “keep [him] in the loop,” but the outlet noted it’s unclear if Trump—Trump Media’s chair—was aware of the payments and their origins, saying he “did not seem to be particularly interested in managing the day-to-day running” of the company.
Trump Media and the Justice Department have not yet responded to requests for comment.