$100M Investment from Money Laundering Investigated Investor Rocks Trump's Crypto Business
President Donald Trump's crypto business has been embroiled in controversy again after it was revealed that World Liberty Financial received $100 million from an investor who was investigated for money laundering. Guren 'Bobby' Zhou, the founder of Aqua 1, a UAE-based investment firm, made the purchase through two separate transactions in January and June 2025.
The source of the $100 million used for the investment was not clearly stated. Blockchain data showed that a wallet linked to Web3Port bought $20 million worth of WLFI tokens in January 2025, followed by another $80 million from Aqua 1 in June.
Zhou had previously faced trouble with British authorities over allegations of money laundering in 2021 and was accused of being part of the operation dating back to 2019. Two of his employees were later charged in September 2025, with one pleading guilty.
The investment has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest for the Trump administration. Democratic senators had called for hearings into a $500 million investment made from Abu Dhabi, which reportedly gave a UAE company a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial.