LONDON/LOS ANGELES: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Los Angeles are investigating fake spy fraudster Gaurav Srivastava, who faces criminal charges of wire fraud, money laundering and false representation as a federal official and US citizen, according to the FBI. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has revealed.
In an exhaustive investigation, senior officials WSJ newspaper Journalist Joe Wallace wrote in his sensational article “A Fake Spy, Russian Oil and a Million Dollars Funneled to Democrats” that Gaurav Srivastava, an Indian businessman now infamous for his “fake CIA agent” scam, is under scrutiny for hijacking the American system and posing a threat to US national security through his fraudulent activity carried out over several years.
Based on legal documents, financial records, interviews and recordings, the from WSJ The story paints a portrait of a college dropout who worked his way up to the upper echelons of Washington's political scene through a combination of outright lies and stolen money.
Srivastava, who met with President Joe Biden and reportedly donated more than $1 million to Democrats — all while claiming to be a clandestine CIA agent — is increasingly seen as a threat to national security in the United States.
And a political firestorm is brewing on Capitol Hill as Republicans and others try to understand how a green card holder born in Lucknow, India, can buy unchecked access to the highest levels of the Democratic Party.
Among those scammed by Srivastava — or “Mr. G,” as he liked to be called — were Gen. Wesley Clark, the former supreme allied commander of NATO; the think tank Atlantic Council; several Democratic fundraising committees; several senators and congressmen, including Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Patrick Ryan, a Geneva-based commodities trader; several African leaders; and the president of Indonesia. Many of these individuals distanced themselves from Srivastava of their own volition after questions about his integrity, while others left him after his whereabouts were revealed.
The scam was originally reported in October 2023 by former Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bradley Hope on his investigative outlet, Project Brazen. Srivastava has repeatedly attempted to have all reporting on his activities removed from the public domain, including through a spurious lawsuit against several publications in Pakistan and India and through fraudulent attempts to have Google delist articles under U.S. copyright laws, including on Project Brazen’s website.
This involved pasting the article text into a blog post on hosting sites Tumblr or Medium and then backdating the posts, making it appear as though they were published before the original article that exposed the Indian scammer. Srivastava then used aliases or fake names to file a copyright complaint with Google to get the articles deindexed.
He WSJ newspaper In an article published in 2008, Srivastava reported that he was looking to create a business that could capitalize on the close connections between commodities, intelligence and security. Targeting developing countries and war zones, primarily in Africa, on the one hand, Srivastava made contact with powerful leaders and intermediaries who claimed to be unofficial CIA undercover agents who could support the development of its ties with the U.S. government.
Surrounding himself with powerful figures, including General Clark, who was in fact a paid consultant, the WSJ newspaper He described how Srivastava built an image of legitimacy that fooled leaders from Libya, where he had dealings with the Russian-backed General Haftar, to Sudan, where he worked for General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who now faces war crimes charges.
At the same time as claiming to be a CIA agent in Africa, Srivastava presented himself in Washington DC as a well-connected American citizen who “insinuated some kind of relationship with the US government” that could not be revealed, according to General Clark speaking to the WSJ newspaper.
Political donations helped open doors, and a major $1 million donation to the Atlantic Council for a food security event in the fall of 2023 gave it legitimacy. On March 2, 2024, Political revealed that the Atlantic Council has confirmed that it has ended its relationship with Srivastava, his wife Sharon and their fake charity “The Gaurav & Sharon Srivastava Family Foundation” after the think tank found that Srivastavas had lied to the council to secure their partnership.
The scam began to unravel when Niels Troost, a trader Srivastava was trying to scam, became suspicious. Troost found a trail of fraud allegations against him in the United States and India, where his family business, New Delhi-based Veecon Group, has a string of failed deals in the entertainment and security sectors.
Srivastava had been introduced to Troost in early 2022 by a mutual business associate as someone who could help Troost counter threats from another business counterparty. The introducer vouched for G’s CIA credentials, according to Troost and an affidavit, and Srivastava went to work trying to gain Troost’s trust.
Over time, and after appearing to have resolved Troost's initial problem, Srivastava claimed he could obtain Troost's permission from the U.S. government to trade in Russian oil “as part of a CIA-approved program,” according to the report. WSJ newspaperThis would supposedly allow Washington to track oil flows leaving Russia, while at the same time providing a vehicle for Srivastava to sell the products he received for his alleged CIA-backed security work in Africa.
Following an apparent “interrogation” of Troost in Geneva by a French financier, Nicolas Bravard, whom Srivastava allegedly said was a “friend of the FBI,” Mr. G brought Troost into his supposed “program” in Bali, confiding to him that “he was with the CIA,” according to Troost speaking to the WSJ newspaper.
Claiming to act with the direct support of CIA Director William “Bill” Burns, Srivastava persuaded Troost to divest 50% of his company and, with the help of US law firm Baker Hostetler, a sale was agreed in July 2023.
He WSJ newspaper He reported that Srivastava said he could not own the shares directly — “because Russia and other countries would not do business with an American agent” — and so Bravard would act as his representative.
He WSJ newspaper The article described how in the following months Srivastava siphoned money out of Troost’s company, Paramount Energy & Commodities, and used it to fund political donations in the United States, the establishment of a new office and even the purchase of a $24.5 million villa in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The nature of this purchase — in which an Indonesian company was apparently persuaded under false pretenses to provide funds to Srivastava — appears to be central to the wire fraud allegations against Srivastava.
As suspicions grew at Paramount about Srivastava's claims, funding dried up. By that time, in early 2023, Srivastava appeared to be desperate, according to the WSJ newspaperSrivastava and his associates, citing recorded phone calls, emails and messages, pressured Troost to transfer ownership of Paramount to the US as soon as possible, and Srivastava made increasingly outrageous claims to try to gain Troost's trust. The desperate claims reportedly included statements that he was “one of 30 top secret agents working for the US” alongside legendary financier Warren Buffett, who “ran the CIA pension plan.” Buffett denied any connection to Srivastava and the CIA.
So important was his “program,” Mr. G claimed, that CIA Director William Burns “screamed” at him to make the transfer. According to another recording reported in the WSJ newspaperSrivastava then betrayed his intellectual shortcomings by saying that Burns could act as he pleased: “It's in the charter of the United States government that was written into the Declaration of Independence. It's there. He can do whatever he wants. It's part of our Constitution.” Ironically, Srivastava's lawyers admit that despite the recording, their client never had a call with William Burns and said the claim “is a fabrication,” though they declined to say who made up the story.
Shortly thereafter, in May 2023, Troost terminated all agreements with Srivastava and his representatives because of this deception. All those who have dealt with Srivastava appear to have cut ties with him while raising serious concerns about his integrity. The only exceptions to this appear to be a former CIA officer, John Maguire, who was previously involved in another scam attempt in the US, and Mr. G’s law firm, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, whose partner Charles Adams, former US ambassador to Finland and a top fundraiser for the Democratic Party, answered questions from the press. WSJ newspaper “nonsense” and told one of the most authoritative and respected publications in the world “we will not acknowledge your existence.”
Recently, two separate cases were filed against Gaurav and his wife Sharon Srivastava in California for fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation, among other causes of action. Similarly, a former landlord of the couple, the former head of ABC EntertainmentStephen McPherson filed a lawsuit against Srivastava after the Indian businessman refused to move out of his $12 million Santa Monica home after his six-month lease expired. McPherson referred to Srivastava as a “fat, scruffy, disgruntled guy” and claimed Srivastava lied to police about his missing furniture and wine collection and failed to pay an additional five months’ rent.
Writing in the WSJ newspaperWallace wrote: “Srivastava's story — part Austin Powers, part James Bond — shows how easily someone with money and courage can gain access to the most influential people in Washington.”
Troost told the Journal he feels “burned out, but takes comfort in the fact that he was not alone. 'It wasn't just me. The whole political system bought into his story,' he added.”
Despite the variety of allegations and evidence of criminal activity against him, Srivastava and his lawyers deny all the accusations against him.
