Last year, James Whitner and The Whitaker Group, which owns sneaker boutiques A Ma Maniére and Social Status were accused of being involved in an international money laundering scheme. This monday, the company issued a statement that the allegations have been cleared.
In a statement posted on Instagram the brand wrote, “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 on 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 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.
