It's impossible to keep up with all the Trump scandals and scams. This one connects with
Trump's attempt to get a Trump Media co-founder to give some of his shares to Melania. (Yeah, I'd already forgotten that one myself.)
Will Wilkerson, 38, a former executive who was vice president of operations for the Trump Media and Technology Group, overseeing the development of Truth Social is now working as a barista trainer at Starbucks in North Carolina in a $16-an-hour job.
He was fired six months ago by Trump after giving 150,000 internal documents, contracts, and emails to the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state investigators.
Wilkerson's high-paying job with Trump together with stock options had the potential to make him a millionaire, but he decided to distance himself from the Truth Social platform after he became concerned that investors in the company might be at risk of losing their investments.
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After contacting investigators in New York and Florida he accused the Trump Media and Technology Group of violating securities laws revealing inconsistencies in the company's expenses that could put shareholders at risk.
MSN
There will be suits and countersuits around that, beginning with Devin Nunes, who is having
lawsuit problems of his own.
This month, the company's chief executive, former Republican congressman Devin Nunes, sued Wilkerson for defamation in a court in Florida.
Nunes claims he had been subjected to 'anxiety,' 'insecurity,' 'mental anguish' and 'emotional distress' as a result of Wilkerson's comments.
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Wilkerson has now become a federally-protected whistleblower.
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The Post has described Wilkerson as 'one of the biggest threats to the Trump company's future.'
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'Ultimately, you know, I just want to do what's right.'
Damn rare in Trump world.
He says that he could not stay silent while the company's executives gave what he viewed were misleading information to investors, many of whom are small-time shareholders loyal to the Trump brand.
[...]
Among the emails submitted to investigators is an exchange between Wilkerson and fellow co-founder Andy Litinsky, who was allegedly fired as payback for refusing to hand over some of his shares, worth millions of dollars, to former first lady Melania Trump.
Trump had already been given 90 percent of the company’s shares in exchange for the use of his name and some minor involvement.
[...]
Wilkerson also shed light on inconsistencies in the company's expenses. 'The vast majority of SPACs just don't rack up these kinds of expenses … and the shareholders could be in some danger of getting pursued by the unpaid vendors,' he said.
What? Like in every other fucking fraudulent, disastrous company Trump has run?
The early hype of Trump Media had made it into a financial blockbuster with an initial public offering raising $300 million for Digital World, while a group of private investors pledged another $1 billion.
Investors had sent the stock price of the SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) soaring to a high of $175 on the strength of its proposed merger with Trump Media.
In September 2022, shortly before Wilkerson was fired, Forbes magazine estimated that Trump's stake in Trump Media was his 'single most valuable asset,' worth roughly $730 million.
But the value of the venture has plummeted since then, with each Digital World share now worth about $13.
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If the SEC takes action against Trump's company Wilkerson could make millions of dollars through the agency's whistleblower reward program, but there is no guarantee.
...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.
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