End of the Road for Najib
Ok, so we're going out on a limb here and saying it: former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is likely going to jail for his role in the Billion Dollar Whale scandal (Najib and Jho Low, a businessman, oversaw the pilfering of billions of dollars from Malaysian fund 1MDB and
CRAFT: Covering China
David Barboza won a Pulitzer in 2013 while at the New York Times for his coverage of the shadowy wealth around former Premier Wen Jiabao. We've spoken to David before in Whale Hunting about President Xi Jinping's wealth. David also makes an appearance in Red Roulette, the blockbuster book about
CRAFT: Secrets of a Navy SEAL
This week, our CRAFT is with Mike M, a 25-year military veteran and U. S. Navy SEAL who was deployed ten times in Iraq and Afghanistan over two decades (possibly more than any other veteran). Mike has spent a lifetime learning how to build teams that can survive the harshest
7 Years and No Justice in 1MDB Case
Our book, Billion Dollar Whale, starts with an epigraph from Bob Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You" (suggested by our friend, Paul Beckett). Steal a little and they throw you in jail Steal a lot and they make you king We try not to be jaded here at Whale Hunting, but experience
Steve Wynn, Chinese Agent
The Justice Department has just sued Stephen Wynn, the American casino mogul, for failing to register as an agent of China's government. Sounds confusing? Well, let us walk you through this complicated (and bonkers) matter. The story starts with Jho Low, the fugitive Malaysian fraudster (of course it does!). Back
Non-Fiction Friday: Books to Read
With the weekend bearing down, here are some great new nonfiction book recommendations for you, dear reader. I'm starting off with Dead in the Water, which is part whodunnit and part investigation into the dark recesses of shipping. In the masterful hands of Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, journalists from
I, Roman
In recent weeks, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we’ve had a real-time lesson in the near impossibility of getting a solid handle on the net worth of the uber rich. It’s time, dear readers, to turn to Roman Abramovich for our Brazen Rich List.
Crypto Savant Makes Rich List
For our Brazen Rich List this week, we’re delving back into crypto. If you’re looking to survey undercounted wealth, there really is no better place to search than this new and fast-growing industry. So far, Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, the founder of crypto-trading platform Binance, is top of
CRAFT: The Ambassador
Kirk Wagar's career path has taken some interesting detours. Het set up his own law firm in Miami in the 1990s and has been involved in Democratic politics for over thirty years, acting as Florida Finance Chairman for President Obama's two election victories. In 2013, Obama appointed him as ambassador
What Did Goldman Know? Part II
As the criminal trial of a former Goldman Sachs banker continues this week in New York, a key question is on everyone's lips: What did Goldman's senior ranks know about the involvement of Jho Low, a fugitive Malaysian businessman, in the 1MDB investment fund? A former senior Goldman legal executive,
Where's Abramovich's 787 Dreamliner?
The UK sanctioned Roman Abramovich’s assets on Thursday, including Chelsea football club. Other of the Russian tycoon’s possessions, though, are harder to get hold of, including his spanking-new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Only around eight to ten people on the planet privately own a Boeing 787, according to a
5 Books: How the World Really Works
At Project Brazen, we love books that take you inside a world, profiling the players who hold unusual power. Sometimes you've heard of these people. But often they're surprisingly unknown. So we've compiled five books that pull back the curtain on centers of influence, whether in entertainment, business or politics.