{"id":1243266,"date":"2023-11-21T09:51:31","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=1243266"},"modified":"2023-11-21T11:45:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T17:45:20","slug":"federal-investigators-allege-social-status-money-laundering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/federal-investigators-allege-social-status-money-laundering\/","title":{"rendered":"Feds: James Whitner, Owner of Social Status & A Ma Maniere, Involved in Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A civil forfeiture complaint, filed in a North Carolina district court last Friday, alleges that James Whitner<\/strong>, the owner of sneaker retail establishments such as A Ma Mani\u00e9re and Social Status, has been involved in selling millions of dollars\u2019 worth of sneakers to Chinese nationals and engaging in a purported money-laundering operation. The complaint contends that the business facilitated the laundering of funds from illicit activities into the banking system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The focal point of the forfeiture action is $1,199,530 in cash seized from the apartment of Whitner\u2019s close associate, Antwain Freeman, in August 2021. Prosecutors assert that this money was linked to an “unlicensed money transmitting business involving Chinese money couriers,” implicating Whitner, Freeman, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the complaint has been signed and verified by an IRS criminal investigator, Whitner himself is not currently facing criminal charges. The Whitaker Group, Whitner\u2019s overarching company overseeing his sneaker retail empire, released a statement to Snkrs Day asserting that his businesses have adhered to tax laws and cooperated with the government during the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement from the Whitaker Group denies the allegations, emphasizing their commitment to legal compliance and transparency in inventory management. It also highlights the collaboration with Nike, a major partner headquartered in Oregon, and asserts that the allegations are baseless and unrelated to their business or community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The civil complaint mentions that Whitner resold products from an undisclosed Oregon-based sneaker company, with contractual obligations restricting sales outside the U.S. or to other distributors. Nike, as Whitner’s primary collaborator, has not commented on the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently there are products available for sale at Nike.com that are made in collaboration with Social Status<\/a> and A Ma Maniere<\/a> that includes a mention of James Whitner by name. The release the A Ma Maniere x Jordan 5 collection is scheduled for November 27th on Nike’s SNKRS app<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n