World Liberty’s $100 Million Investor Linked to Active Money Laundering Probe

Guren “Bobby” Zhou, the man behind Aqua 1’s $100 million purchase of World Liberty Financial governance tokens, was arrested in Britain in 2021 over suspected money laundering, with the investigation still active as of late July. Zhou has not been charged, though a British court filing last November accused him of taking part in a laundering scheme dating back to 2019 alongside five others. Two of his former employees have already been charged, and one has pleaded guilty, with a trial set for 2028.

A History of Failed Ventures

Reporting traced Zhou’s path from running a struggling UK flooring business to launching a crypto project that later collapsed, followed by a relocation to Abu Dhabi in 2024. There, he led a venture fund that eventually rebranded before making the large WLFI token purchase weeks later.

Source of Funds Still Unknown

Where the $100 million originated remains unclear. Under World Liberty’s revenue arrangement, a large share of proceeds reportedly flows to a Trump-linked entity. The company maintains it followed all applicable laws.