James Whitner, CEO of The Whitaker Group, the parent company of A Ma Maniere and Social Status, has been completely exonerated in a federal money laundering investigation. This news comes just days after Whitner relinquished a US$1.2M claim to federally seized cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In November 2023, Whitner was accused of selling millions of dollars worth of sneakers to Chinese nationals and participating in a suspected money-laundering scheme. The focus of the investigation was US$1,199,530 in cash seized from the apartment of Whitner\u2019s associate, Antwain Freeman, in August 2021. Prosecutors claimed this money was connected to an \u201cunlicensed money transmitting business involving Chinese money couriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Whitaker Group vehemently denied these allegations, emphasizing their commitment to legal compliance and transparent inventory practices. They highlighted their longstanding partnership with Nike and asserted that the allegations were unfounded and unrelated to their business or community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Whitaker Group\u2019s full statement regarding their clearance in the investigation is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFollowing a thorough investigation by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Western District of North Carolina (USAO) into James Whitner and The Whitaker Group. 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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n All throughout this investigation, your trust in our mission and support for our team, our work and our stories has been invaluable, THANK YOU! We are appreciative of the extraordinary support of our vendor partners as we worked to bring this investigation to an end.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we move forward and set our sights on the future, we are excited to keep building a legacy of excellence, telling the stories and building experiences that shape community and culture. We look forward to continuing this journey together and seeing you all in our spaces along the way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The work continues.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n