UK money laundering suspect bought $100M in Trump crypto business: NYT
An individual behind the Aqua 1 entity that purchased $100 million worth of World Liberty Financial tokens in 2025 is reportedly a businessman with ties to the UK and UAE.
An individual previously under investigation in the UK for money laundering following the collapse of a cryptocurrency business was reportedly behind buying $100 million worth of tokens from the Trump family company, World Liberty Financial.
According to a Sunday New York Times report, Guren Zhou, also known as Bobby, was behind the Aqua 1 entity that purchased $100 million of WLFI tokens from the Trump family crypto business in June 2025. The token purchase financially benefitted members of US President Donald Trump’s family and that of World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff.
Zhou’s reported involvement in the World Liberty purchase followed speculation that the individual behind Aqua 1 was Dave Lee. The Aqua 1 foundation acknowledged in July 2025 that Lee joined the company as co-founder and CEO in April 2025, but did not say whether he was behind the funds going into the WLFI tokens.
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