James Whitner forfeited $1.2 million in cash that was seized by federal prosecutors in connection with an investigation into money laundering charges.
However, Whitner’s company, The Whitaker Group, announced on Sept. 23 that Whitner was cleared of all charges.
“Following a thorough investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina (USAO) into James Whitner and The Whitaker Group,” The Whitaker Group said in a statement. “The office has declined prosecution based upon, among other things, the sufficiency of admissible evidence to support prosecution. This outcome reaffirms our stance all along of the integrity of our business, the transparency of our operations, and the regulatory compliance of all our tools, platforms, and processes that allow us to serve both community and consumers effectively.”
In November 2023, a civil asset forfeiture lawsuit filed in North Carolina claimed that Whitner was a participant in a “trade-based money laundering network” in which he helped to move millions of dollars to Chinese nationals under the cover of reselling shoes and apparel.
According to the complaint, Whitner was accused of selling millions of dollars worth of shoes and apparel to a Chinese national, who then resold those products in China and other places. After this was arranged, the complaint alleged, a broker in China would direct couriers to collect large sums of money from illegal activities and this cash would be delivered to Whitner.
The complaint also described the nature of Nike’s contract with Whitner without directly mentioning Nike by name, referring to the shoe giant as “an Oregon-based manufacturer” that expressly forbids the products in question from being resold to a broker or distributor outside of the United States.According to Hypebeast, although there was speculation after the details about the complaint surfaced regarding Whitner’s relationship with Nike and Jordan Brand, Whitner and Jordan Brand maintained their relationship.
In November 2023,
shortly after the details of the case became public knowledge, The Whitaker Group addressed the investigation in a statement, calling the the allegations “unfounded, unrelated to our business or this community, and unjustified.”RELATED CONTENT: Nike Collaborator Forfeits $1.2M To Government Amid Money Laundering Lawsuit