UK Money Laundering Suspect Linked to $100M Trump Crypto Purchase

An individual previously under investigation in the UK for money laundering was reportedly behind buying $100 million worth of tokens from World Liberty Financial, a crypto business tied to the Trump family.

Guren Zhou, also known as Bobby, is believed to be the mastermind behind Aqua 1, which purchased the tokens in June 2025. The purchase financially benefited members of the Trump family and co-founder Zach Witkoff.

The reported involvement of Zhou in World Liberty's token sale followed speculation that Dave Lee was the individual behind Aqua 1. However, it is unclear whether Lee was the actual investor or just a figurehead for the company.

Questions have been raised about potential conflicts of interest in the Trump administration due to foreign actors tied to World Liberty's crypto business. Some of its biggest backers include Tron founder Justin Sun and an Abu Dhabi entity backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with a reported $500 million stake.