NYT: UK money-laundering suspect behind $100 million WLFI buy; up to $75 million routed to Trump-linked entity

An Aug. 10 investigative report by The New York Times said the largest publicly disclosed purchase of governance tokens for World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the Trump family's crypto project, was funded by Guo Renzhou (Guren "Bobby" Zhou), a businessman under investigation in the UK on suspicion of money laundering. The NYT said the $100 million WLFI token purchase was executed in June 2025 via Aqua 1, a UAE-registered fund. Under WLFI's revenue-sharing structure, as much as $75 million of proceeds from that purchase could flow to DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity controlled by Donald Trump and his three sons, implying 75% of token-sale revenue goes to the Trump family. UK authorities arrested Guo in March 2021 on suspicion of money laundering. Officials told the NYT the investigation remained open as of the end of July 2026. Guo has not been formally charged and did not respond to the report. On-chain records reviewed by blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence indicate the $100 million acquisition was split into two buys that appear linked to the same controller: a $20 million WLFI purchase in January 2025 by a wallet controlled by Web3Port, followed by an $80 million purchase in June 2025 by a wallet believed to be controlled by Aqua 1. The NYT said company records tied the two entities, noting that a Web3Port entity registered in the British Virgin Islands later changed its name to Aqua 1 GP Limited; about two weeks after the name change, Aqua 1 announced a $100 million WLFI purchase. Aqua 1 had previously denied any association with Web3Port, without specifying which reporting details it disputed. Web3Port had earlier publicized a $10 million WLFI investment shortly after Trump's January 2025 inauguration. The NYT also reported that the deal would benefit the family of WLFI co-founder Zach Witkoff; his father, Steve Witkoff, is currently a special envoy in the Trump administration. Trump's latest financial disclosure shows he received more than $65.6 million from the sale of WLF Holdco equity and $236.25 million from an allocation of WLFI tokens. The report said Eric Trump met Guo in Dubai to discuss the investment, after which Guo described it as "participation in the Trump family's cryptocurrency project." The origin of Guo's funds remains unclear. The NYT said it could not verify the ultimate source of the $100 million, and traced Guo's prior UK ventures as a series of failures. It reported that Guo previously ran a UK flooring retail business that entered restructuring proceedings without repaying about $5 million owed to his father's company. Guo later moved into crypto, launching Caduceus, which raised about $7.6 million; by 2024, its tokens were nearly worthless. Caduceus had claimed support from China Merchants Securities UK and the Bin Zayed Group, founded by a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family. Both told the NYT the claims were "unauthorized and materially false." In 2024, Guo relocated from London to Abu Dhabi and later became associated with Web3Port and then Aqua 1, helping position both as major WLFI buyers, the report said. Chinese courts have also issued civil judgments against Guo totaling about RMB 19.4 million (roughly $2.4 million) over unpaid loans. Patrick Prinz, chief operating officer of crypto crime investigation firm Recoveris, told the NYT that Guo's profile should have triggered anti-money laundering documentation requirements before WLFI accepted funds. He cited multiple business failures, sudden access to large sums, transaction size, and an ongoing investigation as red flags that collectively meet the threshold for an AML filing. Prinz added that international AML rules classify Trump and his family as Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), a designation that should prompt the highest level of scrutiny. The report said Guo promoted the WLFI investment as a credibility boost, sharing photos with the Trumps at events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and calling Aqua 1 WLFI's largest investor with "verifiable credibility." Retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark told the NYT his team conducted a background check after being approached by Guo's representatives for an event and then ended discussions, telling them: "We will not speak with you." Separately, the NYT noted that other overseas WLFI funding has drawn political scrutiny. In June 2026, five Democratic senators wrote to a Republican committee leader seeking a hearing on Aryam Investment 1's $500 million investment in WLFI. Aryam is backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's National Security Advisor. Citing a Wall Street Journal report, the senators questioned potential conflicts between foreign financial interests and the Trump administration. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reiterated that Trump has no conflict of interest. WLFI spokesperson David Wachsman said the company complies with applicable laws and runs a compliance program that "meets or exceeds industry standards," but declined to say whether WLFI knew the source of Guo's funds. After the NYT report, WLFI traded at $0.05295, unchanged on the day, while 24-hour trading volume jumped 57%. The NYT also reported that the criminal case against two of Guo's employees is set to begin in 2028, and that one defendant has already pleaded guilty.