Trump Crypto Venture Partner Tied to Notorious Sanctioned Scam Ring

Back in October, the Department of Justice seized a staggering $15 billion in Bitcoin from a sprawling international scam operation known as "Pig Butchering." This criminal network, identified as the Prince Group and based in Cambodia, used slave labor sweatshops to socially engineer victims worldwide—mainly Americans and Canadians—into fake romantic and friendship relationships. These scams coerced victims into wiring money or sending cryptocurrency, which was then funneled through exchanges and Bitcoin ATMs.

The DOJ’s seizure added the $15 billion to the United States’ strategic Bitcoin reserve—meaning the victims will not see their money returned. The Trump administration labeled the Prince Group one of the worst criminal organizations globally and aggressively prosecuted the scammers.

Yet, in a stunning twist, the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, partnered with a blockchain platform linked to the Prince Group’s leadership. The Trump stablecoin, USD1, is the exclusive stablecoin on this platform. Crucially, two individuals sanctioned for their involvement in the Prince Group’s scams were connected to this blockchain around the time of the stablecoin’s launch.

This marks at least the fifth time World Liberty Financial has been associated with controversial or sanctioned entities—raising serious questions about the firm’s due diligence and oversight. While the Trump administration cracked down hard on the Prince Group’s criminal activities, the Trump family’s crypto business appears to have overlooked or ignored these red flags.

This pattern of reckless partnerships in the crypto space underscores how the Trump organization continues to leverage unregulated financial instruments to enrich itself, often at the expense of transparency and ethical standards. It’s a glaring example of the corruption and self-dealing we’ve come to expect—and must continue to expose.