Federal prosecutors are investigating ties between Donald Trump’s fledgling social media network and a former nightclub proprietor who once sued a police force for claiming that his venue was financed by the Russian mob.
Michael Shvartsman, 51, is chief executive of Rocket One Capital, a Miami-based firm that was an early investor in a vehicle that is set to merge with Trump Media and Technology Group.
Born in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Shvartsman spent most of his early life in Canada, where for some time he helped run a nightclub called Kaos, which attracted the attention of the Edmonton police department. Now he is at the centre of one of the most controversial US business launches of recent years, a possible future shareholder in an upstart media venture that is set to play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential election.