Overview
- A federal grand jury in Manhattan has been empaneled and issued subpoenas in a Southern District of New York probe led by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, a development first reported on Monday that moves the inquiry into potential criminal conduct.
- Prosecutors are examining whether funds routed from Singham through a Goldman Sachs donor-advised philanthropy fund and two shell companies were used in schemes that could amount to wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, or related offenses.
- Reporting by multiple outlets traces roughly $278–$285 million flowing from Singham into a web of U.S. and international nonprofits, media operations and activist groups, and investigators are seeking bank records and other financial documents to map placement, layering and integration of those funds.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly pressed Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon for cooperation over the donor-advised fund, and the bank has publicly said distributions were made to legal nonprofits and pledged assistance to investigators.
- No criminal charges have been filed; the probe builds on prior congressional and international scrutiny of Singham’s network, and it could prompt further document demands, regulatory review of donor-advised funds, and additional congressional action if prosecutors develop evidence that supports charges.