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James Whitner and The Whitaker Group (the parent company of A Ma Maniere and Social Status) have been cleared of all allegations in the federal money laundering investigation.
The announcement arrives just days after Whitner and The Whitaker Group forfeited his $1.2 million claim in federally seized cash.
In November 2023, Whitner was named and allegedly involved in selling millions of dollars worth of sneakers to Chinese nationals and engaging in a purported money-laundering operation.
The focal point of the forfeiture action is $1,199,530 in cash seized from the apartment of Whitner’s 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.
The Whitaker Group issued a statement denying 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.
The Whitaker Group’s statement regarding the clearance in the investigation can be found in its entirety below:
“Following a thorough investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s 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.
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.
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.
The work continues.”
Stay tuned to Nice Kicks for more industry news and the latest sneaker release dates.
