A New York Times investigation has revealed that Guren "Bobby" Zhou, the businessman behind a $100 million purchase of World Liberty Financial (WLFI) governance tokens through the UAE-based fund Aqua 1, was arrested in Britain in 2021 on suspicion of money laundering and remains the subject of an active UK probe. Zhou has not been formally charged, but court records show he is accused of participating in a money laundering operation dating back to 2019, with two of his employees charged and one pleading guilty. A trial is scheduled for 2028.
The Times, citing court documents and interviews with former associates, detailed Zhou's history of failed ventures, including a British flooring retailer that defaulted on $5 million in debt and the crypto project Caduceus, whose token became worthless after burning through $7.6 million. Both China Merchants Securities UK and the Bin Zayed Group said representations about their involvement in Caduceus were "unauthorized and materially false." After relocating to Abu Dhabi in 2024, Zhou led Web3Port, which later rebranded as Aqua 1 and executed the $100 million WLFI purchase shortly after Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration.
Blockchain data shows wallets linked to Web3Port and Aqua 1 bought $20 million and $80 million of WLFI, respectively. The source of the $100 million remains unknown. Under World Liberty's revenue-sharing terms, up to $75 million flowed to DT Marks DEFI LLC, a Trump-controlled entity. Trump’s latest financial disclosure listed over $236 million in distributed token sale proceeds. World Liberty's spokesperson said the project follows all laws and maintains compliance, but declined to comment on whether it knew the source of Zhou’s funds. The White House denied any conflicts of interest.
The revelation raises significant questions about due diligence and the potential involvement of illicit funds in a high-profile DeFi project with ties to the former president, at a time when regulators are intensifying scrutiny of the crypto sector.
